A Family
by BaconYourFace
Summary: What happens when two girls enter the Bat Family? Follow Christine Carter and Autumn Cross on their experiences as part of the family. Warnings: contains some gory scenes, swearing, and NO SLASHES (if you don't know what that means then you don't need to worry about anything) There are a few funny and fluffy chapter LATER ON. Review, please and tell BaconYourFace what you think.
1. Gone

**Chapter 1: Gone**

**A/N: So this is our first story ever! Yay. We're both just fans that are...quite CRAZY! This is just a short chapter, cause well, it's the beginning...so yeah. WE don't own most of this stuff, like DC comics and most characters. Obviously. So uh, review please and tell us what you think.**

**Dick's POV**

A beautiful day, the sun is shining, the birds are singing, the cool breeze is nipping at my nose...it would have been a perfect day...if it wasn't for my little brother's funeral. There are only a few people that show up; he wasn't able to send ripples to the lives of other people due to his short life. Everyone thinks he left this world because of some silly accident. Everyone but my family. He just died a few days ago at the hands of the psychopath who calls himself The Joker. Only a few weeks ago he was in the cave searching for his utility belt and asking me if I happened to see it. A few minutes later he shouted in triumph when he found his belt and then left for patrol. It was the last time I ever saw him. Next thing I know, he's gone. I used to hate him for replacing me, working alongside my former mentor like I used to. He died at fifteen...so young! He didn't deserve to die the way he did; he was a good kid, he still had hopes and dreams. He was supposed to finish high school, go to college and have his own independent life, but he never got to do any of that. All because that damn clown took him away! Away from us! Away from me! Why did you have to go little brother, right when we were slowly becoming brothers in everything but blood?

I cry as I watch the coffin lower into the grave. I stare at my brother's peaceful face; it looked as if he was never beaten to a pulp then blown to hell. I look one last time at my brother before the coffin closes and gets engulfed into the ground. I notice the Drake's and their son Tim head back to their car, along with the few people who attended the funeral. Soon, it was just Bruce and me, standing in front of the tombstone. He placed a hand on my shoulder and walked away. I knew that I had to leave my brother at rest, but I just...couldn't. He wasn't just some street kid. He was my brother, a boy that tried to make his dad proud just as I did.

I remember when Alfred told me that he was so excited to meet me, _his_ hero, but when I met him, the boy that annoyed me so much that I couldn't stand him, I treated him like the street urchin he was. Alfred told me that he didn't just wanna make Bruce proud, he also wanted to make me proud. I never really thought I would lose him.

I wipe the tears off my eyes, I take one last look at my late brother's name _Jason Peter Todd, an ally,_ before turning my back on the grave and taking a step away from it. I glance back at his tombstone.

"I'll miss you Little Wing."


	2. Christine's Past

**CHAPTER 2: Christine's Past**

**Christine's POV**

I am Dick Grayson's sister, Christine Carter. Dick was 8 when I was born, but he thought that I had died. I was born the same day our parents died. A few minutes after I was born, Tony Zucco, who was planning on sabotaging the circus ringmaster by putting the Flying Graysons "out of action," burst into the hospital room and kidnapped me as my mother was signing my birth certificate. As Zucco and his men were driving away from the hospital that late afternoon, Batman intercepted them. He rescued me from him and sent all of them to Blackgate, all of them but Zucco, who managed to escape. When Commissioner Gordon asked Batman to give me to him, Batman declined saying that he would deliver me back to my family himself so that I'd be in safer hands. That night, the circus was still performing even though the Graysons' baby had "died". Batman decided to change back into his civilian identity and attend the circus as Bruce Wayne, leaving me with Alfred, who was waiting in the car. Bruce watched as my parents fell to their death, and saw my brother grieving their death. Alfred told me that I was asleep, but had suddenly woken up and started crying. Now I know why. After comforting my brother, he returned to the car.

I ended up being taken back to the manor, because there was no other place I could go...yet.

Back then, Batman thought that there was no way he could take care of a baby, so he decided to send me to one of the orphanages supported by the Wayne Foundation. As Batman, he placed me on the doorstep, knocked on the door, and left me there. Ms. Blanchard, the caretaker, opened the door and found me with a note. "Christine Carter" it read. Although my parents had legally named me, Batman had given me the name I would use for a long time.

I grew up in that orphanage thinking that my parents had abandoned me. Even though I wanted more than anything to leave that wretched place, Ms. Blanchard cared for me like I was her own daughter. I wasn't very popular in the orphanage, especially since Bruce Wayne would always take a special interest in me whenever he visited; the other girls got jealous of me. He visited pretty often, but I never approached him; I was way too shy.

One day when I was three, I was kidnapped, tied up, and thrown into a van. I don't remember much, but I was told that they didn't harm me because as soon as I was taken to their secret hideout, Batman had rescued me, beaten them all to a pulp, and brought me back to the orphanage. It happened again when I was five, and again when I was nine, except I remember a lot more, including a clown laughing in my face, the cold blade penetrating my side, the blood dripping onto my clothes, and the red staining the black of Batman's costume. I also remember the fear I felt during the entire experience, and when it was replaced by a feeling of safety in Batman's arms. Batman _was _my hero.

A year or so later, Bruce came to the orphanage with his butler, Alfred. Bruce had come upstairs into my room and told me he was adopting me. I was overjoyed, but my shyness took over. My reaction to his statement was a large grin. He helped me gather my belongings and we headed downstairs. Ms. Blanchard hugged me, and I could tell she was fighting back tears. As I walked out of the doors of the orphanage while holding my new father's hand, I could feel the stares of every single girl in the orphanage on my back. I was too happy to care. However, on the way back, we nearly got into an accident with the car behind us, except the driver was obviously trying to damage the car. It was getting obvious that my life was constantly in danger. Almost to the point where I was getting used to it.

I immediately got used to my new home and family. Bruce always made sure that I was given proper care. Alfred was my grandfather who was usually serious but had a sense of humor. My eldest brother Dick always made sure that I knew I was appreciated and loved. My brother Tim had a lot in common with me. Everything was going well until I was kidnapped two weeks later. Dick had taken me out to buy some clothes when next thing I knew, I was tied to a chair and feeling slightly disoriented. That fear I felt when I was nine rose inside me again, except it was a lot stronger. Tears started streaming down my cheeks as a gun was pointed at my face. I screamed in my throat, feeling frustrated that I couldn't do or say anything because I was gagged and tied up. I felt helpless. I hate feeling helpless. But I remember seeing a flash of silver knock the gun onto the floor as Batman punched the guy in the jaw. Robin took out the thug that was charging towards Batman. Together, they defeated my kidnappers. Batman released me from my bonds, and I hugged him and whispered "Thank you," in his ear. He brought me home and drove away.

The next day, I discovered the secret door behind the large grandfather clock in Bruce's study after doing some more exploring of the mansion. Bruce told me everything, about his alter ego and his sidekicks. I had asked Bruce if I could help him fight crime along with Robin, since I didn't ever want to feel like I was useless and couldn't do anything ever again. I also didn't want anyone else to be in my situation. But he said no. I kept persisting, but he kept rejecting my request. Soon, I got Alfred, Dick, and Tim on my side, but he still said no. I later realized that he was too worried for my safety and he was afraid he might lose me like he lost Jason, his second son. After a lot of persuading and going over certain rules, my dad agreed to train me.

A few months into training, Bruce told me about my parents and the night my parents died. He had pulled Dick and me aside one day and told us that we were related by blood. Bruce told Dick and me everything that happened that night. He handed us my birth certificate. "Rachelle Fawn Grayson," it said with our parents' signatures on it. Dick and I got into a fight with Bruce, but we settled things a few days later. I was now closer to Dick than I was when I first joined the Wayne family. I trained with Bruce and my brothers, along with some friends, for over a year.

In the everyday world, I am known as Christine Grayson, but my friends call me Chris. To my enemies and allies, I am a protector of Gotham City, along with my father and brothers, known as Nightingale.

**A/N: If you would like us to go into further detail on any part of Christine's backstory, just let us know and we will try our best to make a chapter later on. **


	3. Autumn's Past

**CHAPTER 3: Autumn's Past **

**A/N: Sorry if her story's way too long...it's kinda different from the last chapters :) review please!**

**CHEERS!**

**-BaconYourFace**

**Autumn's POV**

I'm Autumn, my mom was Sheila Haywood, a relief doctor in Ethiopia, my dad was Ryan Cross, a mercenary that killed criminals, a metahuman that saw glimpses of the future, a playboy, a member of the All Caste and a good friend of Talia Al Ghul. My mom didn't want me so she left me with my dad when I was born, which was fine with me. We lived in Gotham, in a big house near the woods.

I never lived a normal and simple life, because from birth my dad trained me, he told me that I always needed to be perfect and that I was never really good enough, he never showed me any affection, he was always cold with; I think it was because he was stuck with a kid, I think he hated me at first, but he still trained me; he wanted me to be like him when I grow up, he taught me about the scumbags that littered the city, he told me that they should die; anyone that hurts the innocent doesn't deserve a life. I didn't understand his words at first, of course, I was only two years old at that time. He trained me for two years, we didn't have time for anything else but training and studying, no time to celebrate my birthday, thanksgiving, or even Christmas, as our neighbors lighted fireworks on new years we trained in the dark cold woods.

It was when I was almost three when I discovered that I was a meta like my dad. I was reading a book about rocks on my dad's wooden desk in his study, with a sample rock in my left hand as I read.

I played with the rock in my hand then I squeezed it as I read, I suddenly felt warmth churn through my veins and shoot straight to my hand and to the rock. I closed my book and looked at the rock, it was burning from the inside out, I dropped the rock on the desk in shock, then I hid. After three seconds I started to stand back up and look at the stone that was supposed to be on the desk where I dropped it, but instead there was a hole the size of the rock burning through the table.

"Huh?" I questioned "Um...daddy!" I called and he came rushing in, he calmly walked to the desk.

"What happened?" He asked with no particular emotion "I-I don't know...I was holding the rock then…" my dad moved the table to reveal another heated hole through the cemented floor "what?" I wondered trying to process what was happening, my dad got a tweezer out of one of the drawers of his desk and picked at the hole. He soon pulled out a piece of a heated shard that was once the rock,he stared intensely at the shard, my eyes widened when the shard got redder and smoke started rising from the piece of rock as it slowly melted, my dad let go of it and the piece just melted into ashes on the ground. "Um…" was my response

My dad dropped the tweezers that looked like it was slowly heating as well, he got up "come on" he said and walked out of his study, I took one last glimpse at the "scene of the crime" then followed him to the living room.

He closed all the windows and the curtains then turned to me "listen to me" his strong gruff voice echoed in my ears "yes?" "Let me ask you a question, do you know why I'm training you?" "To kill all criminals like you, because Arkham has revolving doors" I said happily, and he sighed and crouched down to be the same height as me "and to make you stronger, even stronger than I am, because you will need the strength, you are a meta like I am" he said "a meta?" "Yep, I can see glimpses of the future" "cool" "you are a meta too, you have the genes" "woah…" he shook his head.

"It's really nothing to be astonished of kid. Us metas are fighting in a war" "war?" "Yes, you need to train" "I have been!" "You don't understand, you need to train harder than ever before. You need to be much stronger, stronger than I am. You have a very long journey ahead of you" I cocked my head in response "I won't be your mentor anymore, instead I'll send you to places where I went when I trained, while I will do my best to contribute to win this war" "tell me about this war!" He shook his head again "you need to be strong, understand?" I looked down and pouted "Understand?" He said louder "yes, sir" "you still remember the rules I taught You kid?" "Yes, destroy the enemy, complete the mission, come back alive, remove the evidence, attack first ask questions later, and attach yourself to no one and to nobody...daddy, I don't like the last rule" I said looking at my father's blue green eyes "I know kiddo, I know" for the first time in my life, he hugged me.

I traveled to Japan, where I trained for only two months but I learned many techniques, I trained under the hot sun and the warm wind blowing. After Japan, I travelled to Greece, then Spain, where I learned how to be tough and to speak my mind when I need to (and how to speak their language). When I turned four, I learned about pity, brutality and anger.

In China, my mentor was a rapist who had many victims even before I met him, I killed him, I hung his neck on top of a building. I went to Hong Kong, where my mentor was a woman who sold drugs to young children and pregnant women, I cut her eyes out, then skinned her face off. In Korea my mentor kidnapped children and sold their organs for money, I burned him to the ground and listened to his horrid screams as he turned into nothing but a puddle of blood and a pile of bones.

My dad didn't care about the deaths I caused, in fact, he was actually proud of me for finding out that my mentors were actually criminals and being able to easily overcome them. But the problem was, I killed all my mentors...so...there was only one last choice...send me to Hundreds of Acres.

As my father and his friend talked in Ra's study I listened through the door "She's preparing for war" "she is but a child, Ryan" "I know...she has to start right now, I will be back for her after...a long time" "do you want me to recruit her for the League of Shadows?" "No, I want her mentor to be our old mentor" "Ducra?" "Yep." "You want her to be a part of the All Caste?" "Yeah, Talia...she has a really long journey ahead of her, I know, I've seen. once I take her with me when I come back...do not interfere with her journey" there was a long pause then Talia answered "I understand my friend"

My dad left me with Ducra, who led me to my "room" a dark small room that looked very much like a prison with pieces of hay on the floor "where's the bed?" I asked as we stood by the door "one must earn comfort" Ducra chuckled and closed the door "right…" I said as I put down my bag on the floor in the dark, dark room.

My first few weeks were very tough, especially my test. Ducra lead me to a huge brick wall "take this down" "all of it?" "Yes child" "where are the tools?" "there" she pointed to the two buckets standing by the wall "what am I supposed to do with these?" I asked "figure it out for yourself child" The thousand year old woman said as she walked away, I sighed, and slowly, day by day, I took down the huge brick wall by carrying the bricks on two buckets on my back and carrying it to the other side of the mountain. After a few weeks of gaining scrapes and wounds on my hands, I finally took down the wall. "There!" I said proudly as I showed Ducra my work "congratulations young one, you have been patient...now...build another wall" I stared at her "what! But I just took it down!" "If you have the patience to destroy a wall then you have the patience to build one as well." "But it will take days, or weeks!" "Then I suggest you get started." She chuckled and walked away. "Patience...Autumn...patience..." I sighed and got started by getting the bag of cement.

After I successfully built the wall, the cleansing came, it wasn't that hard to pass though, I would have been the first human in a thousand years to pass the cleansing came I'm a metahuman, not really a human; so I guess I was the first child to pass the cleansing in a thousand years...not bad.

I woke up at three in the morning everyday and jogged for one hour, I trained for ten more hours with my mentor then studied with Talia for the rest of the time left. I learned history, english, spanish, latin, Roman, Greek, Arabic, math, science, and many other subjects. I learned how to hack and how to work with advanced technology, by the time I was five, I was already able to hack into systems like the League's and I figured out all their secret identities, strengths and weaknesses.

I was able to gain many intense skills, and awesome techniques, I learned how to adapt easily, and I became one of their greatest warriors, over the years; Talia was good to me, almost more like a mother to me than a mentor or maybe an aunt of mine. I remember when I met her son, I was eight and a half and Talia was teaching me Algebra then the door slightly opened and a young boy popped his head in "mother?" "Yes my child?" She asked the boy "grandfather is requesting for your presence." Talia sighed "we will continue this later on young one" she said and left the room leaving me and the boy alone in the room. "You're Talia's son?" "Yes, I am heir to the throne and the grandchild of Ra's Al Ghul." He said proudly "and who are you that my mother cares about?" He asked me "oh, I'm Ryan Cross' daughter, a good friend of your mother, I-" "Who is your mother?" He asked "A woman named Sheila Haywood, she didn't want me so she left me with my father, dad says that she was a pretty b****" I said casually "what about your father?" I asked him "I never met him, but I imagine him to be as tall as your father" "ahh, well I imagine my mother to be as nice as your mother...I keep thinking that maybe she had some sort of reason but didn't just tell my father" "you should not get your hopes up." "I know"

I climbed a giant mountain when I was eight, I broke my ankle when I was half way, I made it up and down anyways.

When I was nine, my dad came to Hundreds of Acres, he looked more tired and depressed than usual, we went on a walk around the palace "how is your training kid?" He asked "fine." I said quickly "your studies?" "Talia says that I am a little genius and a quick learner" my father chuckled "like father like daughter" I smiled at his comment "what brings you here?" I asked politely "I am taking you out of Hundreds of Acres, and we're going back to Gotham" "may I ask why?" my father looked down at me with his chin high up "no." We lived a normal life after that, a simple life for a few months, father told me to never ever show anyone about my powers not even if it's life or death because that could end very very badly, we had to blend in with the crowd, no showing off of skills or powers at all. On my tenth birthday, we went to the pier, where I tried cotton candy for the first time, and where the first tragedy of my life happened.

As I ate my pink cotton candy, I suddenly heard a loud cackling coming from the tunnel of love. Joker was running away from Batman who wasn't far behind him. I dropped my cotton candy, when The Joker held me with his arm and choked me, he pointed a gun towards my temple, his cackling sickened me. I held his arm with my hands, "father!" "Autumn, just stay calm, okay?" He said as he stood beside Batman. I nodded under the choke hold, and the Joker only laughed "calm!? Calm!? HAHAHA!" he laughed "no one make a move, or this little girly goes bye bye!" He said dragging me to his van where he tied me up with ropes. I struggled to get out of the ropes "no, no little girly, you see if you so much as try to get out of the knots laughing gas will break loose!" He giggled "why are you doing this?!" I yelled as I stopped struggling "Do you think old Joker would exit without a bang? Yeesh kiddo, have you not been reading news papers lately?" He asked as he drove the van away from the pier all the way to the north side of Gotham, then the van stopped and the Joker poured gasoline everywhere around the white van as he whistled a happy tune, he dragged me outside the van but still near enough to be caught in any explosion. He lighted a match and fire started to ignite, I closed my eyes and wondered how hot it would be; I suddenly felt strong arms wrap around me then I felt an explosion. I tightened my eyelids and when I opened them everything was blurry and I was out of the ropes. I slowly got up and looked at the carnage around me, I saw Batman punch that mad man multiple times in the fire as the Joker only cackled with the blood dripping down his chin. I tried walking even in the blurry haze, that was when I felt the touch of a body hit my feet, I looked down and it was my dad on the floor consumed in fire "father!" I pulled him away from the fire, and I turned his face over to see that there was a huge grin on his burned face and blood dripping down his eyes and ears, I screamed in horror and looked away from his body, I choked in my sobs, I took one step the other way, then another one then I broke into a painful sprint. I returned to our house where I grabbed all the supplies I needed, I was planning on leaving forever because I knew that the social services would be in my house in seconds, I had time to treat my wounds and grab a bag where I put some clothes, water and money before I heard a loud banging on the front door. "We're not here to hurt you!" a gruff voice said, I scowled, and I left through the window, and just kept running.

I was on the streets of Gotham after that, with no where and no one to go to, for months I fended for myself, I stole money or food to survive, I was all alone and on my own for one whole year, no one to love me and no one to love. The only way I survived was because of my skills that I got from the All Caste. It was horrible, feeling alone, abandoned, guilty, and...afraid.

Until came the best day of my life; I walked through the streets carrying my tattered bag on my back when I heard a loud scream in one of the alleys, I ran towards the scream and found a man holding a gun up at a woman and her child. "Get away from them!" I yelled, they all turned their heads to look at me "stay the f*** outta this kid!" The man said, and I smirked "yeah sure" I moved back and jumped off of the wall behind me, and I ended up standing in front of the thug, I kicked away his gun and punched his face, he tried to punch me but I ducked and I kicked his face and he simply fell to the ground "psh, weak"

The woman that I saved was named Teressa and her son was named Nico. After a long calm talk, although she was only poor, Teressa adopted me (not legally though, who has the time for that?) She told me I could call her mom though she didn't have any intention about replacing Sheila, but I couldn't care less about Sheila so I called Teressa "mom." Nico became my cute younger brother, who was innocent and compassionate, he looked up to me and I cared for him, he was kind and loving to all the people around him no matter who they were.

For the first time in my life, I celebrated Christmas with them, when I watched as Nico put the star on top of our small Christmas tree, when they lighted those simple fireworks on New Years, and when we had a simple chocolate cake and a candle for my birthday; when Teressa gave me a pretty necklace for my eleventh birthday, "it was my mother's, she gave it to me. I kept all my precious memories in it, I hope you do too" she said as I held it in my palm and smiled lightly.

Teressa was rarely home, she had to work double-sometimes triple shifts in the wet market or at some store just to last us food for a few days, I helped out a little, not by stealing, mom didn't want me to steal anymore. I just babysat some of the children of our neighbors for a few bucks. I would babysit Nico along with the other kid that I babysat.

I remember one stormy night when just laying on my bed and Nico was somewhere in our small kitchen, the lights suddenly went out and thunder boomed "Autumn!" He yelled and ran to me. It wasn't completely dark, there was light coming from the windows. We sat on my bed and my little brother moved closer to me " 'm scared" I hugged him and ran my hand through his hair as he trembled "shsh...there's nothing to be afraid of" I said rubbing circles on his back, I gently pulled him away from me and I smiled "hey...you know what I think of when I'm scared of the dark?" "What?" He asked curiously "BATMAN!" I said and I tickled him, he giggled. Lightning flashed and thunder boomed and he moved closer to me and I hugged him again, I brushed his hair with my hand "shsh" I said and I hugged him tighter, I started humming his favorite lullaby, the lullaby that mother always sang to him, his body relaxed and he rest his head on my shoulder and fell asleep.

The second tragedy happened when my little brother came with my mother to the wet market to help her out while I stayed home babysitting some children. Mom came home without him "you took forever...where's Nico?" I asked her, she bowed her head "where is he?" I tried again "at the hospital" she whispered "what happened, is he okay? Let's go visit him!" She shook her head and let the tears slide down her cheeks "there was a drug ring by the wet market, then...we heard shouting and screaming then gunshots, I tried to run away with Nico but he ran towards the gun shots...I was too late and he was caught in the crossfire of these two men." "TELL ME, WHERE HE F***ING IS!" I yelled at her for the first time "MY SON IS DEAD!" Teressa yelled back and collapsed on the floor. At first I didn't want to believe her, I was hoping she was just lying...but I saw his dead body and at his small funeral.

Days turned into weeks, the apartment was so silent and pain hung in the air. My mom didn't make a sound at all, it was as if she wasn't home at all. Things changed after my little brother's death, especially mom; her brown hair was always messier than usual, her dark brown eyes were always clouded and she would always look right through me, she spent more time alone in her room or in the bathroom, she used to be kind, gentle and caring, but then she just snapped as if she let the poverty and pain finally catch up with her. From time to time she would tell me to buy her medicines from some guys that smelled weird. She said that she was "sick" but the medicines only made it worse.

She stopped caring about our food, water, shelter, electricity as if she didn't need any of it, so I was forced to take matters into my own hands, I was back on the streets fending for two people. I stole car parts and sold them, I begged on the streets and walked barefoot (it didn't really bother me though). Mom used to despise stealing, but like I said, she just stopped caring, about everything and everyone including me. I was able to make enough money for the both of us, for water, and then food, we didn't really need heat we had lots of blankets, we didn't need electricity either because I would just leave or sleep at night and during the day the sun was enough to be our light, besides, mom wasn't bothered by the cold or the dark.

There were times when I heard her sobbing in the bathroom, there were times when she came out her room with bruises and wounds on her face, there were other times when she would take the money I earned and used them to buy drugs. There were times when mom locked herself away and I heard a banging from our door, I would take our unloaded gun and opened the door "She doesn't want what you're selling! So don't f***ing come back!" The man's eyes widened and he ran away. There was one time that must have been the most painful moment of my life when mom was screaming at me for chasing away her dealer, she grabbed me by the arm and I was to tired to fight back even if I wanted to. "Mom, ow!" I said, she just yelled at my face "mom, please! The medicine's only making you worse!" "SHUT UP! I DON'T GIVE A CRAP!" She yelled at me, then she violently let go of my arm and pushed me away. She collapsed on the floor sobbing "you don't understand! They all left me, my family...I'm all alone" she sobbed into her hands "they're all gone...I'm alone now…" "no mom, I'm right here" I crouched down next to her and held her shoulder trying to hug her, but she shoved me away "DON'T CALL ME THAT, I AM NOT YOUR MOTHER AND YOU ARE NOT MY DAUGHTER!...so just go, just go!" She cried, her words stabbed me with my favorite knife. I bit my lips and cried, I still wrapped my small arms around her "I'm not going anywhere, I won't leave you alone mom...I promise."

The third tragedy in my life was when I came home from stealing parts, it was dark in the crappy apartment and I suddenly felt a cold wetness touch my bare feet and I smelled the scent of blood. I found mom's body laying on the floor drenched in blood with a bloody rope around her neck, she choked herself, I crouched down and hugged her body not minding that I was starting to become drenched in her blood and I cried...it was at that time when I understood why my father told me to never attach myself to nobody and to nothing.

The police came and found me with hugging my mom's dead body and crying, they took her body and they threw me in an orphanage, they said that she was just a depressed overdosed druggie but she wasn't just a druggie, she was my mom damnit! I stayed in the orphanage for a few days, I had no where to go anyways.

One day a man and woman came to me, "hello Autumn" the woman spoke and I crossed my arms "what do you want from me lady?" I spat "relax, she just wants to ask you a question" the man in a trench coat said. The woman leaned forward "are you ready for the war?" She whispered in my ear.

They brought me to a forest in Africa where at first there was nothing but trees "there's nothing here" I stated, then a hole in one of the trees opened and the woman and the man entered it. The man gestured for me to follow him, I raised an eyebrow "we're not going to Wonderland kid" I followed him and mumbled " what's Wonderland?"

There was a gigantic underground base, with steel walls, dozens of jets, hundreds of scientists and soldiers, and each and everyone of them were metas. I caught glimpses of epic sparring sessions, and smart ass scientists working with supercomputers, I saw metas training to be able to master their abilities. The woman lead me to a room where I met a man with white hair and gray eyes, "who are you, what is this place?' I asked "this is where us metas hide and where we train for the ongoing war...your father, he was a good man...he told me all about you, he asked me to explain to you what the war is about. The war has been on going for generations, an immortal man seeks to destroy all and start a new generation-a new era, where everyone's metahumans." "Who is this man?" "No one knows his true name, no one has ever seen him. He has recruited thousands of powerful metas who are called The Unknown, while we have hundreds compared to his army because of the power The Unknown possesses...your father, was an old friend of mine, he helped us so much, he wanted you to help in saving the world. We have been watching you, since our brother's death. We are trying to stop The Unknown from destroying us all." "I don't understand, why not ask other people for help, like the Justice League?" "Half of JLA recruits are metahumans, if they chose to be on the side of The Unknown, do you think it will be good?" "But they won't they are the JUSTICE LEAGUE" "It's too risky. If we pull everyone else into this, there could be chaos on the entire earth...we must keep this a secret, do I have your word?" I nodded "you have my word sir" "good, now are you willing to join the war and risk your life for others?" "Yes" I didn't hesitate

There were many amateurs and there were a lot of experts that showed a lot of skills. I made friends that were my age, Jake, he was always so kind to me for some reason, and a girl named Ella who was his sister and seemed to be so quiet and emo. Us new recruits shared one room depending on our age, I shared with girls and boys my age; the room was full of double deckers children my age.

After months of showing what I was capable of, I lead the beta teams with the ages of 14-21 because of my leadership skills. I made more friends but sadly some of them died in the war, my best friends were Jake and Ella even as I started to lead Alpha teams in a matter of months. I even made a frenemy, at first she hated me for some reason, then I saved her from being shredded to pieces by another meta. I had my own quarters and I was given firearms and knives, I was taught how to control my powers, every time I went on a mission I would have my gear that I needed, and a hood over my face, I wore gloves a gray hoodie and some jeans depending on my mission.

I was a skilled genius so the leaders couldn't decide if I was a scientist or a soldier, so i was both. I worked on trying to find the headquarters of The Unknown.

"Cain get down!" I pushed him to the ground before an explosion went off.

I jumped off my ally, and got my knife, my knife started to heat up and I jabbed it through the metal man.

I kicked the meta that was invisible and I burned the invisible man by holding his face.

I jumped up and stabbed the cyclops that tried to attack me. I grunted when a man took my knife out of my hand, I took my gun and shot the man, I jumped up and shot the face of another enemy. When we won the battle and the fire died down I walked to Cain "did you get it?" He nodded "good" "I still think we should have told them that we went on a mission unauthorized" "don't worry, I do this all the time" "what!" "Let's go" we got in the jet and flew back to base, I got the flash drive from my friend and walked to my room. I plugged it in my computer and looked through the files that The Unknown suddenly got their hands on.

Lately The Unknown has been always one step ahead of us, as if they all knew all our secrets...as if there was a bug in our base. So I tried to get the upperhand and got my hands on every file on each of their recruits. I scrolled down through the people they recruited, and that's when I stopped when I found the names that we recruited **Owen Reyes, Ina Curt, John Kindle, and Ella Rane**, my own best friend was one of the traitors. I opened her file and I found out that she agreed with The Unknown to be the bug. My face darkened, and I sneaked into our leader's office and placed the flash drive on his table.

I told these four people that we had a mission near the docks of Star City, I lead them to a warehouse near the docks "where's the enemy?" Ella asked, I walked in the last and I closed the door behind me, the lights turned off and darkness became my friend. The traitors became frightened all of the sudden and I only chuckled at their fear.

"Autumn, what's going on?" Ina asked as I danced with the shadows.

"I don't know, you tell me. TRAITORS" "What the hell are you talking about...let us out of here now!"

John yelled as Owen ran for the door "It's locked!" "No kidding, I melted the lock, and your powers and skills are useless with the titanium door" I said as my voice echoed through the huge warehouse "YOU FOUR ARE TRAITORS! DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY GOOD PEOPLE DIED BECAUSE OF YOU?!" "What are you talking about!" John denied. First I got Owen by his collar, I burned his skin off and made sure that his screams were loud enough for everyone else to hear, it was like music to my ears then I hung his neck, I dropped his body right in front of the three, the two girls screamed at the sight of a body without skin.

"DON'T BOTHER DENYING IT! I STOLE THE FLASH DRIVE FROM THE UNKNOWN,THE FLASH DRIVE WITH ALL THE FILES OF THEIR RECRUITS, I SAW VIDEOS AND PICTURES, IT'S ALL GOOD ENOUGH PROOF FOR ME" I shouted, I took John, then stabbed his face fifteen times then just dropped the limp body of my old friend on the floor. Ina and Ella backed up in fear, I took Ina then cut her throat and left her body on the floor. Then I quietly walked to my best friend stepping on Ina's unmoving body "Autumn...please...we're best friends remember?"

"Pathetic" I spat and I stood right in front of her "please...don't kill me!" I stood up straight "I won't kill you...because I have mercy, and because your brother's my friend, now why would I take his sister away from him right? Even if you are a f***ing b****" I cocked my head and smiled "Of course, not because you're my friend, and also, I kinda need a messenger." I turned my back and quickly ripped the heads off the bodies and stuffed them in a bag and handed them to Ella "here, take this home" I smirked and I saw her disgusted but fearful face as she looked at the plastic bag and when she looked up I was gone and door slowly opened.

She ran and ran to one of the bases of the Unknown, I followed her as she entered the base and screamed and cried, I watched from a distance as she sobbed and talked to a few people, I smirked and picked up a rock from the ground, I heated it in my palm then threw it at her, there was so much force that it slowly went right through her head and she collapsed to the floor. The men she was talking to scattered like ants, I grinned and left.

When I came back, I told everyone else that the traitors were killed and that I was the only one that made it, Jake was sad but not mad at me. Our top leader and I were the only ones who knew that they were traitors.

The scientists and I found the main headquarters of the Unknown, it was in space, floating by the orbit of Venus.

I passed by the office of our commander "We found the headquarters" "But how the hell are we going to infiltrate it?!" "We can't send everyone, we'll lose our entire army!"Another leader argued "we need to send just one person" "But what stupid kid would go on a suicide mission like that?!" I burst through the doors "I would" I said firmly "they can recruit me, I can be a spy, they've never seen my face and I can always change my name" "You're not supposed to be here, get out!" "Listen! I'm just a kid, but I am a powerful meta plus I am an expert who wouldn't want that person on their side? Plan's simple, I get in there, gain their trust, don't get compromised, find out where their other bases are on earth then blow up the damn place and their stupid leader!" "You wouldn't be able to get outta this alive kid" "Uh, duh" I said casually.

I was easily recruited by the enemy along with a few other metas, and I was sent to their main headquarters because of my abilities and skills, the ride to the orbit of Venus was fun. The place was so huge, I think I got lost once, we had to wear stupid uniforms, a black kevlar. I sneaked in to get to the main computer and send all the data that my home needed to win the war.

A woman named Eva with the power to read minds figured me out but cut her in half with my sword before she even got a chance to tell anyone. I was able to plant the radioactive bombs, but the trigger broke so I had to activate it manually but I was discovered by half the axium after I planted them. As I ran for the escape pods, I met the leader, he had tubes connected to the axium, he was huge and he had a large build up, but the problem was that he had telekinesis, so he could control me. When he controlled me, it felt like my body was numb, like I just lost control of something extremely important; control.

He pulled me towards him using his telekinesis "I WILL NOT LET A MERE CHILD RUIN THE PLANS THAT I HAVE PREPARED FOR THREE GENERATIONS!" His voice was booming, it sent chills up my spine. He beat me, he moved my body towards the two walls and kept banging me towards a wall and the floor, all he needed to do was lift a finger "so, you are supposed to be one of the most powerful metas?" He chuckled as he hit my stomach, I just needed to keep him busy, and wait for the bombs to go off.

He punched me many times and I was able to break my right arm, a few ribs and fractured my skull. He pulled me near him, his disgusting breath blowing at my face as he spoke "you are weak!" I spat in his face and he slammed me to the ground "THEY SEND A STUPID CHILD TO KILL ME?" He laughed and I heard a crack on my left ankle, I stayed quiet the entire time. He suddenly grabbed my neck with his large hand and started to squeeze me, he grinned as I struggled to breathe and I clawed at his hands.

He suddenly let go and I gasped for air as I laid on the floor, he kicked my stomach and I grunted "GET UP, AND KNEEL!" I got up, holding my arm, but I didn't kneel "I thought...I thought...you just wanted everyone to be the same."

"STUPID GIRL, THAT WAS WHEN I WAS HUMAN" I used the wall to support me "so...you were human...then?"

"I WAS ONCE A HUMAN, THEN I EVOLVED AND I BECAME A META, I THOUGHT THAT IF WE WERE ALL THE SAME THEN WE WOULD ALL JUST ACCEPT EACH OTHER RIGHT. BUT OVER TIME I EVOLVED ONCE MORE, AND I REALIZED THAT THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS JUSTICE OR EQUALITY, JUST POWER!" I looked at him, and I stood up straight without the help of the wall, and I took a step towards him, he raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, there is such thing as justice, but I just don't care about equality or power anymore." I stepped forward "because now, all I care about now...is revenge...and of course, when there's revenge, there's always death."

I grinned at the large man who suddenly took a step back, he looked at his hands "what?" it was melting. His skin was melting off his face and he fell to the ground below me "You see, people like you, people that want power so much that they'd kill the innocent for it, eat of the ground"

"**AAAAAH! NOOOO**" He screamed as I heard the sizzling of his burning skin, I only looked at him and he started melting "ah, yes the horrible screams of pain is like music to my ears."

He tried to control me with his telekinesis but somehow, it didn't work. I grabbed his melting face "I want all those scumbags, all those people that don't deserve life, I want them to feel the pain, that I felt...I want them all to burn in hell with me...I want them all to suffer." I

smiled as and I let go of his face, soon all that was left of him were glowing bones, and even his bones were still starting to melt. Dizziness took over me, but I fought it with will power. I left the room and started walking to the escape pod "to bad we can't all get what we want" I murmured before entering the escape pod.

I didn't see it, but I knew that the time bombs I planted just hit one as soon as my escape pod shot out of the axium. I was still caught in the damn explosion and I went straight towards the earth and I crashed to earth in a ball of metal and fire. The last thing I saw before everything went black were two men that looked like they were one of the enemies.

I was out for days, I was in stuck tied up in ropes, they punched drugs into me, but I learned how to fight drugs with the help of the All Caste years ago. I was in a truck with lots of large men surrounding me, I burned the ropes off, and then I killed all the men that captured me, I killed the driver, and I jumped out the back of the truck, I walked and walked holding my bleeding arm as the truck behind me exploded.

**THAT'S MY STORY AND I'M STICKING TO IT.**

Now...I just keep walking and walking, it's so cold because it's December, but even as my feet are buried in the cold snow and as blood drips down my mouth, I still keep walking and I stab anyone that tries to hurt me with the knife I stole from a thug (but it's not counted as stealing if the guy that owned it was dead, right?) I rely on my skills, waiting for myself to heal from all my injuries.

Maybe I can find Sheila, my birth mother, dad said that she lived in Gotham, maybe she can help me; I look for her around Gotham, I take a little money from a dead guy that probably died from malnutrition. It's just enough for one hour at a cheap computer shop here in Crime Alley. I clean all the blood off of me, and hide all my really bad wounds, I look sort of presentable, by presentable I mean tattered clothes, messy tied up hair and no shoes, but hey, here in Gotham who cares bout how you look like as long as you give them the money right?

We won the war, my friends and allies are already taking down The Unknown's bases.

I search my own name, apparently my team thought that I was dead and buried a coffin without a body, they declared me legally on the day the axium exploded. Sheila's was a doctor all the way in Ethiopia (I already knew that though) it says here on the documents that...she was killed about five years ago, by the same mad man that took away my father and my brother away from me, I scroll down through her documents, and it says that she had another son, a boy that's years older than me, a boy named Jason Peter Todd.

I research about him, he was the adoptive kid of Bruce Wayne, also known as Batman, why does this Jason Todd's name jog a memory? ...RIGHT! Jason Todd WAS the second Robin.

His adoptive mother was Catherine Todd, and his father was Willis Todd, Willis died in prison and Catherine was a druggie like Teressa...It says that he died, five years ago with Sheila on April 27 at fifteen years old...

I connect the dots...he didn't know that Sheila was his real mother, he probably found out and he could have went all the way to Ethiopia to go to her, but maybe Sheila was in trouble with The Joker, he might have tried to save her...but I guess instead, they both died...

He could have been my older brother, he was probably a good kid unlike me, I mean of course he was a good kid, he was Robin...I might have never met him, but he's still...something.

I just realize something...**I HATE THEM ALL**...I hate The Joker for taking away my dad, my birth mom, my little brother and the big brother I never met.

I hate Batman for not killing The Joker in the first place, and then maybe none of these deaths would have happened at all. I hate myself for not killing that mad man myself when I had the chance...WHY WAS I SO STUPID!? By killing that psychopath I could have saved thousands of lives...but instead I chose to run! I hold on to my necklace as I fight back the anger boiling in my blood...one day I'll get my revenge on all of them.

I read about how distraught Bruce Wayne was when his son died in an "accident." I also search on articles about how Batman suddenly started patrolling the city without a Robin. It's Batman's fault...why Jason Todd/Robin died, why my father and my little brother's dead, why I'm all alone now.

My time's up to use the computer and I leave erasing all the data.

I walk and walk, holding and rubbing the necklace that I never took off. It's sad how Jason Todd, or Robin was only fifteen when he died, he could have had so many plans and dreams, so much to still do...but that mad man took him away before he could have even finished high school.

I hate how unfair the world is, I hate myself for being so stupid for not looking further into the second Robin's background before when I was still with the All Caste...who knew it turned out that I had a family member that I never even knew about!

I hate The Joker for taking away the people I cared about, for taking away Jason Todd, even though I never really met him, for taking away Sheila even though dad said she was a b**** she could have been something, anything...I wish I got to meet Jason Todd...he could have been a great big brother...

****Break****

I run and run as five thugs chase me, I can't fight back due to my injuries and my knife won't really help right now. I keep running, even though my feet are already bleeding, I'm already breathless, then suddenly young man wearing a brown leather jacket and a red crimson helmet jumps right in front of the scumbags.


	4. Patrol

**CHAPTER 4: Patrol**

**Christine's POV**

I run out of the classroom as soon as I hear the bell ring. Instead of staying back with my friends from Gotham Academy like I usually do, I head straight for the limo, not bothering with where Tim is. I hurry into the vehicle, nearly tripping on my way in, as Alfred closes the door behind me.

"Calm down Miss Christine." Alfred says rather calmly.

But I can't help it. Today's the day. I keep bouncing up and down in my leather seat as I wait for Tim to come so that we can go home.

"Ugh...where IS he?" I'm starting to get irritated. Of all the days he decides to become a slow-poke... I'm scanning the crowd of navy blue and white clothed boys and girls when I spot Tim talking to some blond chick. Awww, Tim's finally being a dawg! Too bad he chose today... I push open the car door and run towards him as Alfred starts yelling in protest. As I approach Tim, I can hear them talking about some science project. Damn, it's just school stuff... Why does Tim always have to be so shy?

"Geez Tim, c'mon! Move it!" I grab his arm and pull him violently away from that girl. Tim starts calling after her as I drag him closer to the limo. I open the door, shove him inside, hop in myself, and slam the car door.

"Alfred let's get a move on! I don't wanna be late!" I order.

"Miss Christine, this car will not budge unless you ask me politely!" He says rather harshly.

"Alfred, would you please put your foot on the gas pedal and drive us home so that I don't die of excitement in the back seat of this car?" I say in a slightly murderous tone with a fake smile on my face.

Alfred sighs as the engine roars to life.

"You know it's only three o'clock right?" Tim asks me.

"Exactly! And my teachers decided to assign me a research paper, an essay about "Why the death penalty is good or bad," another essay about "My Hero," and I still have to memorize my lines for the mini play our class is doing for the talent show! If I don't finish most of that I won't be allowed to go out tonight!"

"What about the rest of the weekend?"

"Tomorrow we have that rich-people party for that event-thingy, and Sunday I promised Dick that we could spend a brother-sister day together. Ugh... I don't know why."

Alfred butts in. "He just wishes to get to know you better."

"I know, but he's had an entire year to do that, and maybe even longer! Now no one disturb me!"

I take out my iPad from my backpack and start working on my research paper. Who needs to research online when you have Tim! I just ask him a bunch of questions and type his answers onto my iPad. By the time we arrive at Wayne Manor, I am nearly done with my paper. I quickly shove my iPad into my backpack, sling it over my shoulder, and race to the door. I knock rapidly and repeatedly ring the doorbell until Bruce, obviously irritated, opens the door. Running past him, I nearly collide with Dick on my way to the staircase. He reaches his arms out to grab me, but I slip under his arm and hurry up the staircase.

"Chris!" Bruce calls out.

"Busy!" I yell back. "Oh and you're home early!"

**Bruce's POV**

The sound of a door slamming fills the suddenly quiet mansion. I have no idea what to make of that. Is she excited, upset, scared? Chris is so confusing. As if reading my mind, Alfred breaks the silence.

"She's very excited for tonight, she nearly pulled off Master Tim's arm trying to get him to hurry up."

This is new. The closest she was to being this excited was when I got her a pony last Christmas. Every day for three weeks, she would insist on going to the stables to visit Bluebell and force either Dick or me to bring her. I trusted Dick to end that madness, but I'm never making that mistake again. They ended up bringing home a Welsh Corgi that she named Ben, and Dick's excuse: I couldn't say no to my little sister! I wish Dick wasn't so pathetic sometimes...

I walk up the steps and approach her room. I slowly open the door to find her sitting at her desk typing furiously on her computer. I stand next to her and read what's on the computer. "The Death Penalty: Why It's Wrong by Christine Grayson-Wayne." I still remember the day she bursted into my study and told me she wanted to change her name back to Grayson. I was happy that she was honoring her parents by taking back her birth name.

"Are you ok?" I ask cautiously.

"Yeah I'm fine. Just excited." She says, obviously trying to focus on what she is writing.

"Ok." Good...excited is better than upset or scared. "When you're done with homework, go down to the Batcave and change into your costume."

"Ok. Alfred changed my outfit right? Because when you first showed it to me, I felt like I would rather..." she's about to say something but then her gaze shifts to the window and her blue eyes widen. "I'd rather, erm, be forced to socialize for the rest of my life than be caught wearing THAT."

"That's hurtful. I helped Alfred with the design. Is something wrong? You suddenly stopped what you were doing." She had stopped typing her report and kept staring out the window. I turn around, but nothing is there. When I look back at Chris, she is shaking her head and muttering, "Nothing, nothing..." before her mind comes back to the conversation.

"Did you think I could stop criminals with hot pink and cuteness?" Obviously attempting to change the subject. "I told you blue and purple, and maybe red, would be nice."

"Now you can protect Gotham with your meanness and tendency to hurt people's feelings in your blue and purple costume." I decide to let her change it.

"You just hurt MY feelings, but at least you changed my costume! Thanks." She says with a smile on her face.

"Alright well I'll let you finish what you're doing so that you can go out on patrol tonight. You'd better hurry, the sun is setting."

"Thanks for the support." She says sarcastically.

"No problem!" I reply, grinning at my hard-working daughter.

****Break****

**Christine's POV **

Finally! I finished all three of my essays! Memorizing lines won't be that hard. I hurry downstairs and put my hands on the side of the large grandfather clock in the study. I pull open the heavy door as it reveals the hidden staircase. I descend the stairs after quietly closing the door behind me. Every step I take echoes in the Batcave. Every few seconds a drop of water falling from a stalactite can be heard. When I reach the bottom of the staircase, I can see Alfred holding my costume in his hands. I run up to him, grab my costume, and hurry to go and change. This is the best day of my life!

****Break****

**Dick's POV**

"She's taking a while." I hear Bruce say as I come out dressed in my Nightwing costume.

"Maybe she's admiring herself just like Master Dick did the first time he wore his Robin costume." Alfred replied.

"At least my costume has pants and no underwear showing."

The three of us turn to see Chris in her black and purple costume grinning at us. She is wearing tight black boots with a dark purple lining at the top of the boot. She has the same purple lining on her black gauntlets. The rest of her outfit is black except for her shiny utility belt and purple insignia of a bird with its wings spread out. Her domino mask and cape are like Robin's, except her cape is a very dark blue just like the thin headband keeping her shiny black hair out of her face.

"Nice!" I say, and her grin grows bigger.

"Is it comfortable? Can you move in it?" Bruce asks.

"I can get used to the tightness, and I can move for the most part." Chris replies as she jumps on everything in the Batcave while doing flips and handstands and punches in the air. All the while she has that same silly grin on her face. She jumps on top of the Batmobile and stretches her arms and legs while constantly saying "tight..."

"Well are we going or what?"

"We're just waiting for Robin," Batman replies.

As if by the mention of his name, Tim emerges in his Robin costume. When he notices Christine in her Nightingale costume, he turns slightly red. Chris smirks and hops down from the Batmobile. When Tim first met Christine, he had a small crush on her. He was logical, though, because he forced himself to move on. Tim was pretty obvious, so Chris and I knew about it. Chris didn't seem to mind, even though Tim had just become her brother at the time, making it really awkward. She even helped Tim by setting him up with that blond girl in his class.

"C'mon slow-pokes! The city of Gotham awaits!" Chris says while smiling like a lunatic.

****Break****

**Christine's POV**

This is great. My first night on patrol and what are we doing? Squatting on a rooftop looking for "suspicious activity." I'm about stand up because my legs are beginning to feel numb when Batman glares at me. I go back to my squatting position and look down on the dark street. Why did Bruce have to be so overprotective. I was about to go to the East side with Nightwing when Batman stopped me and sent Robin with him instead. I asked him why and all he said was, "You'll be in less danger." Dammit. Everywhere I go I'm in danger, especially now that I've taken up this responsibility. He knows that someday I'm gonna grow up and I won't need "protecting." He trained me more strenuously the weeks leading up to today, and, to my surprise, I never collapsed out of sheer exhaustion. I can handle low life criminals, but I know my limits. Batman even gave me a set of rules to follow! I'm supposed to go back to the Batcave with the Batmobile (in autopilot, if he finds out I tried to drive it myself I'd be grounded for a month) if any of the super-dangerous criminals show up such as The Joker, Bane, Two Face, etc. If anything happens to Batman, Nightwing, and Robin, I'm supposed to stay at home and contact some people from the Justice League. Really? He thinks that I can't help them in any way! Ugh...

Suddenly, Robin's voice comes in through the intercom.

"The Joker's got Nightwing! You'd better hu-"

"Robin! Robin come in!" Batman begins yelling. "Damn that clown. Nightingale, you know the rules."

"What? But it's my first night on patrol, and you want to send me home early while you get to beat the Joker to a pulp?!" I yell at him.

"Get in the Batmobile and head back to the cave," Batman growls.

"Fine," I grunt while avoiding his gaze.

I look back up and he's gone. I stand there, the wind blowing at my face and pushing my hair back. I take in a deep breath and smile at myself, probably looking like a psychopath.

"Rules are meant to be broken."

****Break****

**Bruce's POV**

Ugh...what happened? I look up and see the Joker's hideous face smiling down at me. I'm strapped onto a table, Nightwing and Robin are tied to chairs, a gun pointed at each of them. The guns are connected to some sort of machine, each with fake fingers on the triggers. I begin to try and release myself from my bonds when the Joker's voice interrupts.

"No no no Batsy! Try to escape and your baby birdies go bye bye!" Joker laughs in my face.

The street lights outside suddenly turn off.

"I swear to God I'll kill you if you murder them!" I growl at him.

"Are you sure? I thought it would only take one dead little Robin to make you kill me. I knew you loved me too much!"

Out the window, I see a man with a crimson helmet on the opposite roof. I can tell he's deciding whether or not to take action. We are on the East side of Gotham, his territory, but he only gets into other people's business when it comes to his drug ring. I flick that aside for the moment when Joker's words finally hit me.

"Go to hell."

"Already have."

What was that? I swear I saw a shadow move by the gun in front of Nightwing. I see a glimpse of something shiny and black before it disappears. Oh no... she didn't...

Joker keeps rambling on about Jason's pain as he killed him, but I am now focused on the girl quietly disabling the machine with the gun. Nightingale scans her surroundings and the look on her face makes me want to scream to her. She can't take on the Joker! The look of determination on her face tells me that she's made up her mind. I've seen that look before, when she kept trying to persuade me to let her come out at night and fight crime alongside her family. Those eyes, the way she looked at me back then with those dark blue eyes, and I already knew that there was no way she was going to give up. She's not going to give up and find another way out because that's not like her, and she knows, and I know, that there's no way she'll get to the gun in front of Robin without getting spotted. Nightingale looks up at the lights, grabs a few batarangs from her belt, and breaks every light bulb. Thank God her aim has improved! The room is engulfed by darkness.

"What's this? It can't be Red Hood...there would've been bangs!"

The sound of metal clattering on the floor makes the Joker jump. He bends down to pick it up, probably a batarang, when Nightingale kicks him in the stomach. She punches him a few times in the face and knocks him off balance. Joker falls to the floor, blood flowing out of his nose and mouth. He barely put up a fight!

**Christine's POV**

I turn around just as the emergency generator kicks in and the street lights turn back on. Thank God that took forever, or else my plan would have failed. Light floods into the room. Batman is freeing himself while Nightwing is disabling the gun in front of Robin. Stupid Joker...he should have connected each gun to all three of them, not just Batman and the person it was aiming at. Villains are stupid.

Batman makes his way towards me, an angry look on his face. I suppose he always looks angry, but this was ten times worse.

"You disobeyed my orders and you could have gotten yourself killed." He says in a deadly tone.

"Sorry, but I did what I thought was right. See! You're fine!" I exclaimed in a slightly irritated tone.

"But you didn't need to risk anything."

"This job is all about risks. I decided to do this. I'm pretty sure I know what I got myself into." I state, glaring at him. He's being unreasonable. I helped him! What the hell is wrong with him?!

"No you don't, not really..."

"I can't believe you. Why can't you just accept that I saved your sorry asses! You just HAVE to do everything yourself."

"It's not like that."

"You sure?!"

"NIGHTINGALE!"

Suddenly, I am swept off my feet. Next thing I know, I'm in a chokehold with a gun pointed at my temple.

"Well well well, looks like Batsy got a new little birdie! And a girlie too, that's new! Of course there was that other Robin, but you're not Robin, he's over there! Then Who. Are. You?" Joker says as he chuckles in my face, spitting a bit on me. Disgusting.

"Let her go." Batman threatens.

"Is Daddy Bats begging? OOOHH This is fun! I've got a gun pointed at Daddy's Little Girl!"

I evaluate my situation. Gun to the head. Chokehold, but not really effective. Joker has no idea who I am or what I am capable of. Oh...this is the moment I've been waiting for, trained for, and destined to do. I look at Batman. He seems surprised, probably because I am smirking at him instead of having a look of fear on my face with tears in my eyes. I swing my leg backwards and kick him right where it hurts the most. He drops the gun and coils in pain, a look of surprise on his face, as I elbow him in the face, knocking him out once again. I look down at the Joker's crumpled body, then back up at my family. There are all staring at me in astonishment. I smile back at them like a lunatic.

****Break****

A knock on my door interrupts my reading...again. First it was Dick, who came to tell me that what I did was, well, awesome, and that I should listen to Bruce next time because he was really worried for me. Then, it was Alfred. He brought me some cookies and milk and told me what he thought about my actions, which was close to what Dick said. Then Tim came in, who asked me how I was, and that he was amazed by what I did back there. Thank you Tim! Now, there is only one person left.

"Come in, Bruce."

The door opens and reveals Bruce in a t-shirt and boxers. Ugh... he forgot he's supposed to wear shorts now that there's a girl in the family. I shield my eyes and frown.

"Daddy! Go put on some shorts!"

A minute later the door opens again, and thankfully he did.

I roll my eyes as I begin talking. "Now are you going to scold me about how my actions could've gotten me killed or injured and how I was being irresponsible and disobedient because I didn't listen to you and that you're disappointed in me and-"

Bruce interrupts. "Initially I was going to say that, but I realized that you were right. You only did what you did because you were concerned for our safety. I only got mad at you for the same reason. You're my daughter, and I love you. I just don't want you to get hurt."

"Well that obviously will happen. It'll be a miracle if I don't get a scratch while working with Batman." I say while smiling at him.

He smiles back. "Just don't scare me like that again."

"No promises." I reply, still smiling at him.

"Oh no." His smile fades as he looks at me with a bit of horror in his eyes. Then his blue eyes switch back to a look of caring. "Goodnight Christine," Bruce whispers as he kisses my forehead.

"Goodnight Daddy." I whisper back.

He's about to turn off the lights when he suddenly stops and turns to me.

"Earlier while you were working on your report, what did you see outside your window?"

I stare into Bruce's blue eyes as I remember the light reflecting off of a crimson helmet. He didn't do anything though, just stood on my balcony...staring at the two of us, mainly me. I couldn't see his eyes, but I knew that he was looking into my blue eyes, into my soul. I shudder at the thought. The whole "looking into my soul" thing creeps me out.

"Nothing, Bruce, don't worry."

I saw Jason Todd, the young man under the Red Hood. The son that died about five years ago and came back (I do my research!) The brother that I never knew, and may never know.

**A/N: So yeah...don't worry Damian will come in later on, please leave a review and tell us what you guys think**


	5. Siblings (Autumn's Past pt2)

**CHAPTER 5: Siblings**

**Jason's POV**

I jump from roof to roof, it's a slow night, I've taken down a few thugs, I've managed my drug ring and sabotaged a shipment of Black Mask, but that's it. At nights like these, I'm usually extra tired but- I'm pulled out of my thoughts when I hear loud gunshots and shouting "GET 'ER!" A gruff voice said. More gunshots came and I followed the sound, I watch the scene from a rooftop. There's a young girl, maybe about eleven or twelve, with black hair and pale skin running away from the five large men running after her. She's holding onto her arm and she's stumbling from time to time. She's breathless, and she throws down a few trash cans to try and slow down the men. One of the men shot at her but missed, I hate people that shoot at kids, especially street kids. The girl runs down an alley, and ends up in a dead end, the thugs corner her, they grin as they surround her "Finally, we gotcha!" The leader said, the girl grips onto her knife growling unhumanly.

Well, time to be the vigilante/anti-hero I am, I jump right in front of the girl and in front of the thugs. The men back up "The...The Red Hood!" One of the men stagger "Yeah, it's me, and hey guess what; I don't like it when people try to kill kids, much less young girls" I say and they all back up dropping their weapons. "L-look, she-she was" "I don't give a crap, you don't try to kill kids!" I growl, and pull out my two favorite pistols out of their holsters "now, you all go to hell" I point the guns at them and advance.

****Break****

I turn around to the kid still pinned to the wall. I examine her, she's wounded and blood is seeping through her clothes "you're injured" I imply "no duh" she answers back "who are you anyways?" I raise my eyebrow under my helmet "you haven't heard of me? I'm The Red Hood" "ohhh, that guy! Yeah, I've heard about you, I've overheard some guys talking about you, they were all like 'I hope The Red Hood doesn't know what we're doing'" she pauses "you're like some Batman, one that doesn't mind the blood" "I am not-" she cuts me off "I like you more than him, you get the job done. I mean seriously, Arkham and Blackgate have stupid revolving doors! I mean what's up with Batman!?" Both my eyebrows raise at her comment, no one has ever agreed with me before "so...um...thanks by the way, although I can handle myself just fine" I don't know why but something about this girl, the way she looks, the way she talks, it reminds me of someone...I shake myself out of my thoughts "you're injured, you need a hospital" "Oh hell no, I ain't going to some damn hospital" "you wanna bleed to death, kid?" "It's better than smelling antiseptic, and death!" She complains "well, antiseptic and death or not, you need a hospital or a least a clinic" "um...you see the thing is, I'm trying to stay hidden...and I don't think I should walk into a clinic all banged up will keep me hidden" "What do you mean hidden?" "You know what, never mind, It don't matter anyways" "where are your parents? Your home?" I ask, and her eyes drop to the ground "Um...they died...I don't have a home…" "got any other family members?"

"well...there could be one man...but I donyou think I dress up as The Red Hood all day, to kill the bad guys." I say, and she just stares at 't think he'll take me in, I mean, I'm his dead son's sister...I'll probably just bring more pain into his family…" "who is he?" She looks back at me "You're The Red Hood, why do you give a s***?!" Wow, deja vu...I remember telling Bruce that, the first time we met. I take out my helmet and reveal my masked face "Look, I'm human too. I know how it feels to be...alone. Why do my red domino mask "two masks? Paranoid!" "Just tell me, the name of this man." "Fine...his name's Bruce Wayne" My eyes narrow "I'm serious" "I am too!" "Bruce Wayne only has two sons, one dead son and a daughter" "yeah… well, have you heard of Jason Todd?" I freeze "Bruce Wayne's dead son? You know, the street kid that he took in." I try to read her, she's not lying "I'm his sister" my eyes widen "wh-what?" I stagger "you heard me. Jason's birth mom, is my birth mom. We have different dad's though, so technically...we're siblings" a lump starts to form in my throat "why am I telling you all this? I don't even know who you are" she chuckles lightly, I can see her eyes slowly dropping. "I think...it's because of the drugs" she says and she collapses to the wet floor.

I don't even catch her, I'm too frozen. I have a sister?! What!? Sheila...what!? No way! Right? Why don't I ask the girl what she's talking about? I put on my helmet back on and move towards her, I pick her up and carry her. First she needs a clinic, I always have my trusted doctor in that clinic, Eliza May. I bring her to Eliza's clinic, where my friend patches up the girl that claims to be my sister. "She's alright" that's all I need to hear from my old friend, to bring the little girl to my crappy apartment.

I lay the light girl on my couch, she stirs, and I stare at her. I can see the resemblance...she reminds me of...me. The girl opens her eyes revealing teal greens much like mine. "S***!" She yells, and jumps up. She swiftly locks me in a choke hold "WHERE AM I?!" She yells, I grunt before I grab her arms and flip her over, her back hits the couch. She gets up and gets into a fighting stance "you!" She says.

I hold my hands up in a sign of peace "listen, I ain't gonna to hurt you" "yeah, I've heard that before, they all ended up trying to hurt me...and eventually, dead" "I want answers" "so do I!" "just listen" "you're the Red Hood, it's not like you listen to anyone!" "true…" I mutter "I took you here to ask questions, I'm not going to hurt you" I try my most gentle voice. She looks at me, like the way I looked at Christine yesterday. She looks at me, right through my red helmet and my red domino mask and into my eyes right into my soul, as if she can see right through all my barriers. Her hands drops and her shoulders relax "alright, but can you at least not wear the helmet?" "fine, fine" I agree and remove my helmet just showing my mask.

"what do you need to know? Is this about a drug ring or something? Because I can tell you everything I know." "No...this is much more...personal" she furrows her eyebrows "first things first...you got a name?" She nods "Autumn" "last name?" She grimaces "um...I can't pick…" "what do you mean?" "well...there's Cross, Haywood, and Todd...no not Wayne, I don't like that guy" she mutters "I'm Autumn Cross" she decides and stares intensely at me "how old are you?" "I'm twelve" "okay...earlier, you said that your brother-blood brother was a boy named Jason Todd" "uhu" she nods "tell me about him" "well...based on my research" she starts "he was a street kid" that's right "his parents were Catherine and Willis Todd" that's also right "he was adopted by Bruce Wayne, some people say that he was Mister Wayne's charity case or whatever" that is true, maybe she's really...no, I still need proof "this isn't really based on my research, it's just a guess...but I think he never knew that his real mother was a woman named Sheila Haywood, he might have went after her. I think she was in trouble with The Joker" she growled that mad man's name "that psychopath killed both of them" she held the necklace that's placed around her neck. "I HATE THAT GUY, why can't Batman just put him away...FOR GOOD!?" She mutters

"the guess is correct...except for the theory, that's only half right" I whisper to myself and her eyes shoot towards me "what do you mean that's correct?" She questions. I look at her, then down at the coffee table where two separate printed pictures sit. I pick up the two pictures "are these the people you're talking about?" I show the pictures to her, she looks down at the pics and nods. She stares at me "why do you have pictures of them, are you a stalker or something?" No, the stalker's my replacement, Tim. "No...but I know who that woman is…I met her..." I pull out my mask revealing my own teal green eyes

"Sheila Haywood is my mother...I'm...Jason Todd" I tell her and she takes a step back "I thought you were dead" she says dead seriously "um...I survived" I lie. She shakes her head "no...Joker threw you and Sheila in a warehouse and blew up the place, you're deceased. You're lying to me, I can see it in your eyes." She says calmly "How did you-" "I hacked into the Bat Computer using those computers at the computer shop yesterday...even Batman says your deceased, it said that he held your body and buried it himself, your coffin's still in the cemetery, I know, I checked, they didn't bury an empty coffin. I did my research on you for the past few weeks and used the money I stole for research instead of food, don't worry, I erased all data but as far as I'm concerned...you're dead" looks like Bruce hasn't updated his computer, or maybe he just...can't bring himself to. My mouth drops open and I'm stuck thinking of a good lie, but instead I suddenly blurt out the truth "I died, it's a long story" "we've got time" she crosses her arms "you might not understand" "just get on with it!" I sigh "fine fine fine fine" I start "I did die, at the hands of that mad man...he killed me and Sheila, blew us up in a warehouse in Ethiopia, all because Sheila sold me out to The Joker. I died but...I came back, I don't know how, but I crawled out of my own grave, and just kept walking, I was brain dead. Until a woman...named Talia found me and shoved me into one of these things called a Lazarus pit, it cleared my mind...and here I am now, trying to kill Batman and ruling over the East side of Gotham" she hums and uncrosses her arms "Talia shoved you in the Lazarus pits? She is nice, I knew it! She wasn't all that cold, she totally cares!" I raise an eyebrow, I don't think I can expect that kind of reaction from anyone "so you died and came back, that's your story? Oh okay, I thought you're some weirdo or whatever." "Are you kidding me?" "Sorry, I'm not all that sane" she chuckles "you know Talia?" She sighs "good times...good times. Sorry, I don't know why I'm acting like this, whenever I meet someone knew I'm usually quiet or angry...maybe cause the insanity's catching up with me or whatever...or maybe I'm just overwhelmed that I found a new big brother" She shrugs "you had Talia as a mentor?" "Yeah, I had dozens of mentors...one in Japan, Korea, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong...and I can't remember the other places. OH! And also in Hundreds Of Acres, yeah…" "let me guess...Ducra?" "Yup, Ducra" "I think she's dead by the way" great her attitude's catching up with me. Her face drops "I didn't know that." "I guess I spent too much time fighting the war" she mutters "war?" "Forget I said anything, that's classified or something" I raise my hands up still holding my mask.

"You trained with the All Caste too?" She asks me and I nod "yeah" I run my hand through my hair, I like my new sister already, she's a little crazy and weird though "cool…" "so you had dozens of mentors?" "Yeah...although I think most of them are dead now, not counting Talia" "Oh, what happened to your mentors?" I don't know why I just asked that "I killed them" I take a step back, shocked at her answer "oh don't worry, they were gross people...so I killed them" she says enthusiastically "oh...good for you then"

"so…who was your dad?" She looks down "his name was Ryan Cross, he trained me from birth...he was killed by the same mad man that destroyed your life and killed our mother" "oh…I used to have a family you know…" WHY DO I KEEP ON BLURTING OUT THESE THINGS? "Bruce used to be my family, I used to have a home...but then I found out he didn't avenge me so now...I'm angry at him" I sit down on my couch and Autumn sits right beside me "my dad told me to always be perfect, that no matter what I did it was just never enough, I tried to make him proud of me...I don't think he wanted me or cared for me, when he told me he was sending me away to train, I thought he just wanted an excuse to get rid of me...then...he died, he was burned, he tried to save me, that's when I found out that he did care...I found another family you know...a woman named Teresa with a son named Nico, the woman told me to call her mom, and so I did. Mom cared about me, she loved me...but...then The Joker killed Nico...he killed my little brother, and my mom just...broke...to pieces...and I tried to save but I couldn't save ehr from herself...she ended up...killing herself." She's starting to hold the necklace again "I fought, I fought hard...I survived...by killing, by taking away other's lives...I learned that those that hurt the innocent didn't deserve to live...I started killing criminals when I was about four...I'm a murderer, a killer…" I stared at her "I guess us Haywood kids are just meant to be killers" she looks back at me "yeah...I guess so" she looks down "what now? I can't go to social services because I was declared legally dead" "why?" "I...um...I can't say" "hey, you can trust me" she stares into my soul again "really?" Her voice is becoming small "even after only a few minutes?" She asks "I promise...you CAN trust me, don't worry" "cross your heart?" She whispers, "cross my heart" I draw and X over my chest with my finger "I...I'm a meta...there was a meta war, that I joined for about a year. We won, but they thought I died. For a year, I was a soldier...great...now I broke my word...you just can't tell anyone what I just told you" "why not, you just said the war's over" "yeah...but...just don't tell anyone what I told you okay?" "...okay" Silence "so...my sister's a meta, cool" "sister?" She stands up, and I stand up and put my arm around her "yeah...sister. So let's sum this up, my sister's a meta-human, a crazy killer, a soldier and a kid that figured out the Bat's identity" "actually, I figured out the entire JLA's identities when I was like what? Eight, seven?" "stop...just stop" a smile tugs at both our lips "I guess that is cool, I have a crazy fromer Robin, a dead guy, and a killer for a brother" I chuckle "Well...this is gonna be fun."

****Break****

"Ughhh...five more minutes, sun" the sun's shining in my eyes, and I sit up "Ugh fine!" I get up and walked to the bathroom to wash my face. I look like shit every morning. I walk out of my bedroom and to the tiny kitchen, I pass by the couch where Autumn is sleeping peacefully. I open the fridge and pull out a carton of milk and try and pour it in my glass, but nothing comes out. I look up the carton of milk and hold it above my head "what?" I had milk just yesterday "GAAAAH!" Autumn yells, and suddenly curdled milk drops on my face. "GROSS!" I run to wash my face in the sink, as I wipe my face with the face towel I shudder "grosssss" then I put the towel down and turn to the couch to see Autumn sitting up rubbing her eyes. "Nightmare?" I ask casually, she shakes her head and gets off the couch "nah, when I get a nightmare, I don't scream, I live with it" "well, good for you then" "I yell whenever I get an idea" "what?" "You know, when you open your eyes an idea suddenly pops into your head?" "Yeah, I have no idea what you're talking about." She hums in response as she shakes the empty carton to check "haha you almost drank curdle" I shudder "it smells gross" she opens the fridge "fridge isn't working...your power's out" "hey, I'm not rich okay. Can't always pay for the electricity bill." she raises her hands in defense "never asked for you to be rich" she says and I hum "which brings me to the idea I was talking about...wait, do you have a laptop?" "Yeah, it's over there" I point to the coffee table where my laptop's sitting "can I use it?" She asks slowly "yeah okay" "awesome" she rushes towards the laptop, and starts rapidly typing.

"hehe you keep tabs on your drug ring, and on Black Mask" "yeah" I answer as I look for the box of cereal. I open the cabinet and pull out the box of Lucky Charms, I open it and I pour it on my mouth from the box. I chew and walk over to Autumn still holding the box of cereal "want some?" I offer "nah" "you haven't eaten since last night" "no worries, I learned how to not eat for forty days" I whistle "really?" "Yeah, I'm street kid anyways" " so...watcha doin' there?" "You see, when I was nine, or was I ten? Can't remember. My dad and I were hiding because he murdered a guy and became a suspect, so he had a house for both of us built. He called it the 'safe house,' it's under his fake name, David Chain, so it's perfect for hiding, and it can be a good home for both of us" "where is this place?" "Not too far, but it's better than your crappy apartment. I just checked if it still belongs to David Chain, and guess what, it still does!" "Don't the neighbors wonder why the lights are always off and why no one comes out of the house?" She shrugs "nah, since when did anybody in Gotham care about their neighbor, right?" I nod "true…" "so what do you think? Wanna move there or stay here?" "Won't it just be the same, I don't have any cash" She smiles "I'll take care of that problem."

****Break****

"when you said safe house, I thought you meant a warehouse or something" I say as we walk in. It's just a simple one story house. I walk in through the door and immediately see the living room. In the middle of the living room is large marble table, with five arm chairs facing the table, in front of the large marble table is a shiny wooden piano waiting to be played, there's a dresser with two drawers and a mirror by the two steps. We climb up the steps and we're met by a long white couch, the couch is facing a large flat screen TV with an Xbox, and a Wii, and a video player and two large speakers connected to the flat screen TV. To the right of the TV is a glass door (the door DOES NOT hit the TV) where there's a view of the rectangular swimming pool and beside the glass door is a desk that has pictures standing on it.

The kitchen is modern, with all the cooking materials we could need, an oven and a microwave and a toaster, and there's another door connected to the where the swimming pool is, and another door connected to the laundry room. The fridge is huge although it's empty but at least it doesn't smell right? We walk to the hallway to the right of the kitchen door just after the white couch, at the end is a door when we enter there's a giant training hall with all the training gear we could possibly need, after the training room is like a "work room" as Autumn calls it. It's full of high tech computers, and lab materials, the entire room seems like it has the tech that the Justice League has "How?" I ask and she shrugs "dad was a rich smart ass, slash playboy, and part serious soldier" "sounds like Bruce" "except Bruce never f*cked a woman to have you ." She walks out the room and I follow her out. "How is everything not dusty? At all?" "Don't know with my dad, he was some sort of genius or something, I think there are microbot cleaners, idk."

She suddenly pulls out two duffle bags from behind a painting by the couch, and throws them on the floor. I take a step back and she rolls her eyes "relax Jason, it ain't a pile of bloody heads" and she opens one of the bags. I whistle "where'd you get all that cash?" "dad's emergency cash" I raise an eyebrow "emergency cash?" "Yup."

"Let me show you something!" She drags me outside to the gigantic garage, the door opens, and it reveals six shiny cars. A red Ferrari, a black Bugatti Veyron, a light blue Audi R8, a silver Pagani Huarya, a white Lamborghini Aventator, and a black Jaguar XJ220 "S***!" I run to the shiny fast cars like a kid "woah…" "Yeah...my dad loved to collect cars...pick one" I stare at her "The ferrari duh" she throws me the keys "we've got to buy food" "if I scratch it?" "one, those cars can't be scratched my dad did something to them, and two I'll fix them myself even if they do get scratched" "I love fast cars" "I haven't noticed" she says sarcastically and hopping into the Ferrari.

****Break****

The cool wind ruffles my hair aa we drive on the roofless Ferrari "Oh hell yeah, f*** you bitches!" I yell at nobody. Who knew having a little sister was actually a good thing? I was right when I said "this is gonna be fun."


	6. Blood Son

**Chapter 6: Blood Son**

**Bruce's POV **

I swing on my grappling hook, running on the roofs of each building I land on. My shadow darkens the streets as I jump from roof to roof. Dick isn't far behind me as we patrol the city. So far, nothing interesting has come up, just a few dealers selling to kids.

"Slow night huh?" Nightwing comments. "Quiet one too."

Usually Chris would keep rambling about whatever's going on at school or something like that (I rarely pay attention), but she isn't on patrol with us today. She and Tim are both grounded for today, so they're stuck on monitor duty. I can still hear Chris complaining in my ear about that weird kid in her class she was talking about yesterday.

"Batman." I hear Tim's voice over the com.

I press my finger on my com. "Batman here." I stop in the middle of the roof of a building with Nightwing waiting right beside me.

"It's Talia." I keep a straight face while Robin continues. "She's sent a distress call. She didn't give me much, just where she is, or where she thinks she is. Apparently she thinks that she was kidnapped because the next thing she knew, she was in Gotham."

"Send me the coordinates." I don't even bother wondering how Talia could've sent that distress call.

"40 degrees 52'1"N, 73 degrees 31'55"W." Gotham Bay...

"Right, we're on our way"

****Break****

When we arrive at Gotham Bay, a black submarine is waiting for us on the docks. The hatch opens all of a sudden; at first Nightwing and I both hesitate before walking towards the submarine and entering.

"Could be a trap," Nightwing points out.

"Give me one good reason why Talia would send a distress call to me - I mean us." I reply.

Nightwing and I observe our surroundings. It reminds me of a party boat I was once on, with a mini bar, some red fancy curtains, and an expensive stereo in the corner. Suddenly, Talia emerges from behind the curtains.

"Hello, Beloved," she greets.

"Talia, what do you want?" I get straight to the point.

She walks to the mini bar and pours a glass of wine and tries to offer me some. "Last time I took one, it didn't go so well," I say, and Nightwing takes a step back. "Am I missing something here?"

"Irrelevant," I quickly state. "Oh, actually it is very relevant." Talia interjects.

"What do you want?" I repeat.

"Alright, I shall get straight to my point." she moves towards the curtain she emerged from. "We have a son." A boy steps out from behind the curtains. At first I don't believe her, but just by looking at him, I already know that he _is_ my son. It's like looking at a younger version of me.

"Hello father, I thought you'd be taller."

"Umm...I think I see the resemblance..." Dick says.

"His name is Damian. I think its time he meets his father." Talia says.

The boy walks to me and examines me, then he looks at Nightwing, who seems shocked (why wouldn't he be?) "Who is that?" He points to my eldest son. Dick doesn't answer. He just slightly sways back and forth. I'm still processing this shocking news. I. Have. A. Son...one with my blood...

****Break****

We climb up the staircase and exit the Batcave. I still can't believe I have a biological son... Dick, Damian, Alfred, and I enter my study. I'm about to head out to the living room with my sons when Alfred keeps me back.

"You'd better keep your eye on him, Master Bruce. He was raised by the League of Assassins, I presume."

"Of course."

"Then you have no idea what he's capable of."

I nod at him and exit my study just as Tim comes down the stairs. Halfway down, Tim abruptly stops and asks, "Who's that?"

Before I can say anything Dick replies, "Bruce's son with Talia al Ghul: Damian."

"Huh? Bruce, you never told us you have a son!" Tim says with a shocked look on his face.

"I didn't know until today." I reply.

"Father, is this the Drake you were telling me about?"

"Yes." I direct my attention to Tim. "Get Chris."

Tim hurries back up the stairs as Dick takes a seat on the couch. I look down at my son, whose brow is furrowed. "Father, I can't call two of my siblings Grayson, so what shall I call this "Chris?"

At that moment, Chris emerges from the hallway and starts walking down the stairs, followed by Tim. She doesn't notice Damian immediately, but when she does, she keeps looking from me to him, as if she's looking for similarities between our faces.

"I had no idea you have a biological son. You should have told us." Her voice doesn't portray it that much, but her facial expression shows that she is very surprised.

"Father didn't know about me." Damian replies to her.

"Ok then..."

"Father, I thought that I have three brothers." Damian looks at me with a puzzled look.

"Chris is just your sister's nickname. Her real name is Christine."

"That's foolish. Girls shouldn't be addressed to with boys' names." Damian bluntly states.

I glare at Damian, but Chris's response catches me off guard.

"That's your opinion. I ask people to address me as Chris, and no one seems to mind. Deal with it." Her voice is slightly harsh.

I happen not to be the only one who's surprised. Tim, Dick, and Damian are all staring at her wide-eyed. I've never heard Chris speak like that to _anyone_, not even that girl she claims to despise from her class. She's changed much from that sweet, innocent girl I adopted more than a year ago. Finally, Damian speaks up.

"You should not talk to me that way, woman. Women are below men."

"Damian!" I yell at him, but Chris just ignores his comment.

"Boys." She mutters while rolling her eyes. "Well it was...nice...to meet you, Damian. I'd better get some sleep; I've got something going on tomorrow. Night guys. Oh, and Damian, if calling me "Chris" makes you feel...uncomfortable... then you can call me Carter." Chris says before she turns around and heads back upstairs.

"Girls." Damian mutters. "Why Carter? Isn't that a boy's name too?"

"That was her last name before she changed it to Grayson." I reply.

"Oh ok. Father, I don't like her. Banish her from your home." Damian orders.

"That's not the way things work around here." I say in a serious tone.

"Fine." He replies rather reluctantly. "Pennyworth, take me to my room."

The two of them head upstairs while Dick and Tim remain downstairs, watching the two of them as they ascend the staircase. When he is out of sight, Dick speaks up.

"Well that was...interesting." Dick says.

"Yes it was." Oh boy... This is going to take some getting used to. I just hope those two end up getting along because I wouldn't want to end up on either of their bad sides.

**A/N Hey guys! I hope you are liking the story so far! Please leave a review! Thanks!**


	7. Some Extra Help

**Chapter 7: Some Extra Help**

**Autumn's POV**

One week, it's been one week since we moved in my old home...I'm starting to regret coming back to this place, it's just one of our old houses (the only one that hasn't been touched over the years). Even if my dad and I only spent one year here...it was the year when I was happy, now the memories just bring pain to me...memories remind me that they're just that...they're just memories...they're all in the past, and whatever is in the past is already gone...just like my dad. In this house, it was where my dad stopped being so cold towards me. I look at the pictures displayed on the desk by the TV, as I remember the past.

I remember when dad took this picture of the both of us, it was the first time he smiled at me...it's a good thing that I don't remember what happened that day, I know it would hurt me more. I glance at the door, I remember hearing dad's footsteps as he unlocked the front door, he usually came home tired, but he somehow still had the energy to smile at me…even for less than a second. I remember when I told him that I wanted this house to be our permanent home, and he answered with a quick "okay." I'll never know why, but after he took me out of Hundreds of Acres...he suddenly became lighter with me even during ytraining...but I still saw the aura of the world on his back around him.

I really am starting to regret suggesting to come here, but it's better than Jason's crappy apartment that looks like it's about to fall apart, and the place is cloaked, plus it has amazing tech that I can work with, the house even has firearms hidden in dad's old "work room", that I only figured out last night.

"Morning Jase" I greet him as he makes his way to the washroom, he scowls and groans in response...ah, good ol' Jason, always in a bad mood in the mornings until after he's taken a warm shower and a good breakfast. I'm much like him, I'm always angry when I just wake up, especially when I haven't gotten any sleep what so ever, but luckily, I wake up before the sun's even up yet.

I love practicing my moves in the training hall and upgrading our tech and polishing the knives and guns hidden behind the book shelves of the dad's work room...but everytime I enter that room...it smells a lot like my dad, and everytime I train in the training hall, I remember the tips dad used to give me while I trained, I remember trying to imitate his moves and succeeding later on…

Why did I have to suddenly remember this place?! Grrrr... Good memories of the past bring pain to the present.

**Jason's POV**

After I've taken a warm shower to wash away the nightmares and the anger, I put on my pants and gray shirt, I have things to do today, I still have to beat Batman to get to Scarecrow, then I have to get Bane who just recently broke out of Arkham, I also have to take care of my drug ring and remind my people why they shouldn't deal to kids, then sabotage Black Mask's shipments...the usual.

I stare at my reflection in the mirror, I look like s***, dark circles under my eyes, messy wet hair and pale skin...It's not like I can look as perfect as Dick and his little sister, not after all I've been through...dying then coming back...

"HAHAHAHA!" Psychopathic cackling suddenly echoes my mind, my eyes widen as I look at my own reflection...The Joker's face suddenly replaces mine. A mixture of fear and rage fill my mind, the world starts to blur "HELLO BIRD BOY! Oh wait...I mean EX-BIRD BOY!" The reflection laughs "SO HOW ARE YOU? I see you've been doing good...turning into good old Uncle J!" Joker cackles "NO! I AM NOTHING LIKE YOU! I WILL NEVER BE YOU!" "Oh but don't you wee hoodie? YOU ARE EXACTLY LIKE ME!" "NOOOOOO!" I yell at The Joker, I ball my hands into fists then punch the mirror, and I sit on the edge of the wall holding my hair "NOOO!" I stare at the pieces of the mirror on the floor, the Joker laughs and mocks me as his face disappears.

I sob as I clutch my hair, the world becoming blurry and dark, I can hear the door burst open, and yelling, then I feel warm arms wrap around me and then...nothing.

****Break****

I wake up in my warm and comfy bed. I sit up and hold onto my head "what?" I look around the room, Autumn is sitting on the chair right in front my wooden desk listening to music and staring out the window. "Ugh" I groan, it's like what, one o clock? Autumn's head turns to me "oh hey Jase, you're up, you've been out for two hours" "really? I haven't noticed." I say sarcastically rubbing my eyes "what happened?" "How do you feel?" "Peachy" she walks to me and takes the glass of water on the side table "here, I'm guessing your throat is dry" why is she so good at this guessing game? I take the water then give it back to her "what happened?" I groan "you don't remember?" She smirks "I remember showering, then passing out for some reason...what happened to my hands?" My knuckles are bandaged "um...you kinda smashed the mirror, you were dosed with a less concentrated form of the Scarecrow's fear toxin...I was able to find the antidote before you went critical." She pushes back the hair covering her face "What happened to the Scarecrow?" "He was taken back to Arkham last night, you need to keep yourself updated."

"Well, sorry but last night I was dizzy with the fear toxin" "you should check out the news on one of the computers in the work room" I roll my eyes "I did, I even found out that The Joker escaped Arkham" she tenses at the mention of that mad man's name, and for a second I see the rage building up in her eyes "but Batman and Nightingale caught him and brought him back to Arkham before I got my hands on him" I ball my hands into fists. Autumn turns her head and looks out the window "they shouldn't get in your way" she mumbles "that psychopath should die"

she looks back at me as I stand up "wait, where are you going?" She tries to block my way as I stumbles towards the door, I stand up straight reminding her of our big height difference, she straightens her back and hardens her face as if she's saying she can take me down "I have to find Bane before the bats do" she intensely looks into my eyes, staring into my soul, and I shiver a little, she's found a way to break through my mental barriers just by looking at me, how? I have no idea, I'm not the kind of person that anyone could easily break through…well, supposedly. She sighs "Bane's still out, he broke out at around five am" I nod and she moves out of the way. "I'm going to pin point his position in the tech room" she smirks "oh so that's what you're calling it now? Tech room? You do know that there are lab materials in there and a whole wall of guns" "oh, I think you should transfer the guns to the training hall" she nods "okay, I will" she agrees without questioning my opinion "you gonna help me out or what?" She nearly jumps "really?!" She grins as we walk down the hallway "calm down, we're just gonna pinpoint the guy, and I'm not very good with tech" "awesome!" She runs so fast, Wally West would have been jealous. She enters the tech room with me right behind her.

****Break****

She hacked into the Bat Cave's system a while ago, the kid's got some tech skills...maybe as good as my Replacement, those skills could come in handy sometime "he's in your territory" she looks at me and I nod "you should suit up and leave when the sun goes down" I nod "yeah"

****Break****

she leaves the room and I suit up, I hold onto my helmet as I head for the garage and go for one of the new bullet proof motorcycles, Autumn stands right behind me and puts a com in her ear "I added a com in your helmet, so that we can communicate during missions, I can help you out while working with the tech here at home" I smirk and get on the motorcycle "so what you're gonna be Oracle now?" She smiles and shakes her head "no, I'm not stuck in a wheelchair...but it's something like what Barbara Gordon does" I hum in response and put on my helmet once I see that the sun goes down.

I start the motorcycle and Autumn moves out of the way "Hey, Jase?" I look at her "yeah?" She looks serious "just...just don't die okay?" I smile at my protective little sister although I know she can't see my smile under the helmet, I nod "okay" and turn my head to see the dark road.

I drive on my motorcycle. The house that we live in is the biggest in this street, it seems so out of place with the old buildings and the crappy houses. "Hood, Nightwing's after Bane as well, watch out for him" "it'll have to be the other way around. Does he know I'm on the move?" "No" "good...I wonder how they are, I haven't seen them for a week" "so you miss them?" She mocks "no, I don't miss them...I'm just wondering what they're up to" "you know...I think that you're just hiding yourself from them" "what do you expect?" "Oh...I don't know...just wondering if you miss them, at all" I grip the handles "Well I don't...I don't need them, and I don't need anyone" silence "you can think that" her tone lowers "you can say that you don't need anyone...but as your younger sister, I'll advise you to stop lying to yourself." More silence…

**** Break ****

**Dick's POV**

This wasn't supposed to happen…

I went on my own to search for Bane because Tim, and Chris had important homework and Bruce still had to take care of this...Demon problem. I simply entered The East Side and things went down from there.

I tracked down Bane to one of these high old buildings, I caught him red handed dealing with drug dealers, that was when the Red Hood came from behind me "hello dickhead" he greeted me with his crimson red helmet.

We fought, we inflicted injuries on each other, but then Bane suddenly butted in, with Hood and I working against each other, not together...things didn't go so well. Bane went for Hood while I handled the henchmen, while I was distracted with the many henchmen, Bane suddenly overpowered Jason. Bane punched Jason's helmet and Jason flew right across the roof of the building, I stopped everything I was doing and jumped towards Hood's flying body, luckily I was able to catch his arm before I almost fell off the building my self.

But Bane took a large piece of debris from the building's roof and threw it at me while I was trying to bring Jason's unconscious body up.

Now...I dangle off the edge of this roof, holding onto the side of the building and onto Jason's slipping arm. "HOOD!" I try to yell as my hands starts to slip because of the rain. Jason doesn't move, he's just dead weight now...I can't get up and I can't bring him up if he's unconscious and I'm slowly slipping off the edge of the building as Bane stands above me, grinning. "Two prices at once...plus, there's no bat to tell me I can't shove you off this building" Bane mocks as he steps on my fingers. "Gah!" I yell once I hear the cracking of my fingers under the heavy weight, but I don't let go.

I clench my teeth and look down at the shiny helmet of the unconscious Red Hood. Don't worry Jason I won't let you die...not again, I won't let go. And I'm not gonna die the same way my parents did, I'm not gonna leave my brothers and sister, I won't leave my father and my grandfather. If Bruce loses us both...I don't know how he'll live with the guilt, I don't want my dad to be hurt because I let go and gave up...no, I won't let go.

The thunder booms and lightning strikes as I look at the man that will soon be my killer.

I shut my eyes, waiting for the moment of my death. "AHHHH!" I hear someone yell, at first I think it's my voice but it's not...it's Bane's. I open my eyes when I feel hands grab onto my wrist "come on!" Bane's image is gone, he's retreated for some reason, now a kid wearing a black hood over her head covering her eyes pulls me up "get up!" Definitely a girl, I can hear it in her voice. She pulls me up and slowly I clump up with one hand and her support, I pull Jason up with me and the girl in a black hoodie and tattered jeans takes The Red Hood.

I lay on the wet floor, on my hands and knees as I watch the girl take out Jason's helmet, to feel his pulse "he's okay" she breathes "who...who are you?" I ask as she stands up and takes Jason by his arm "I'm nobody" she says "just a friend of your brother...a friend that he "doesn't need," apparently" although I can't see her face in the dark, I can sense that she's furrowing her eyebrows. "Remember dickhead...I'm nobody" I slowly stand up as she takes Jason.

I take one last look at the hooded girl as lightning strikes from behind her and then smoke starts to surround her and she disappears with The Red Hood.

I hold onto my arm, my mind still processing the event...who was she?

"AAAH" I turn my head to see Bane on the floor, lying on the wet ground in a small puddle of red wetness. I look behind him and see bloody dead bodies without heads, burned off faces or with bullets in their chests surrounding Bane.

Bane has a knife stuck in his shoulder and a bullet in his leg, there are cuts all over his face, horrible burns on his arms, and red oozing out of the wires that were supposedly connected to his back, his eye is swollen and he's just laying on the ground groaning in pain.

**Jason's POV**

I wake up in the same cozy bed I was once in hours ago, with a cast around my right arm. "Not again" I moan as I sit up "Jason!" Autumn appears right in front of me sitting on the edge of my bed, she suddenly hugs me tightly still taking note of my arm "Autumn...why…" Then I suddenly remember what happened "you almost fell of a building stupid! Luckily Grayson saved your ass before you fell, but both of you almost died! It's a good thing I came after you when your com went dead!" She says letting go of the warm hug, her eyes becoming soft, but traces of a smile are gone "you have a tracer on me?" "No…" she says looking down...then her eyes suddenly shoot back up at me with anger, rage, or is it concern? Worry? "WHAT THE F***!?" She suddenly exclaims

"What?" "YOU ALMOST DIED!" "I almost die all the time" she looks down "every time I put on the helmet I'm a moving target...I thought you understood" "I do...but" her voice becomes soft "I don't like it" "well, I don't like dying then coming back either, but we can't all get what we want, now can we?" I accidentally snarl and she tenses but doesn't look at me "I know that...but Jase" she looks at me with pleading eyes "you're going to destroy yourself" "...I already have" I turn my head away from her

"no...Jason, you have to stop...being-" My eyes shoot towards her, "What? Being Red Hood? Don't you see? I am Red Hood, you can't change that, no one can take him away from me because he and I are the same" I bark as I stand up ignoring the pain in my arm "But...you don't get it" she stands up "you're all I have left...I already lost a brother once...I don't wanna lose another one...not again. And with being the Red Hood...it's more likely that you will...die" "I never really cared if I died" I whisper "but I do…" she whispers back "I don't...I don't wanna be alone again...you don't have to be the best big brother ever...you just have to be there, and...alive...not, risking your life every day with no one watching your back" I put my good hand on her shoulder "listen Autumn...I am The Red Hood...I can't just give it up because, The Red Hood is all I am...or I would just be revenge and anger...I would be nothing-" "just a lost kid looking for a family…" she continues as she stares at me with sad eyes.

"I know...I get it...but, someone needs to watch your back…" no one has ever really cared if I were safe ever since I came back, but my little sister does "your family...they're doing a great job at it…" she's sarcastic even if she's sad "I'm 24/7 as Red Hood and as Jason Todd, you know that" "exactly...you think I can just sit here knowing that my big brother's out there going on suicide missions? And I can't do anything about it to convince him to stop?" A short silence "no...I need to watch your back 24/7, as Jason Todd and as Red Hood" "why?" "Because. You're my brother, my only family...and...I care about my family" she suddenly hugs me "and I don't want to lose anyone else...not again" she whispers and lets go

"I'm not going to let you die…" "you know I have to be him...I can't stop being him. Someone needs to help the innocent, and the Batman is just letting the ones who hurt them live!" "I know, Jason…" "Really?" "Yes. The first thing that dad taught me was that those who hurt the innocent should die" she says with anger in her voice as her eyes pierce right through me "but…" her voice becomes soft again "...I'm your little sister, you're going to die if you continue this alone...I care about the innocent too and I agree with your methods...and so" her voice becomes louder and more stern "I've made a decision" "what is that?" "I'm gonna be your partner" I pause "...n...no" I say sternly, but she doesn't even flinch "I'm going to watch your back, whether you like it or not" "well I don't like it! You're going to put your own life in danger!" "I know how this works...I've done these sort of things before" "what about your training?" "What about it? I've been trained since birth! I was on the streets for...how long? I fought in a f***ing war, and here you are telling me that I don't have enough training? Hell, my mentors were Ducra and Talia!"

She does seems to have potential "besides…" she continues "I still need to take revenge" she mumbles and I tense...I don't want her to turn into me...but this could help her cope...maybe. Would I really want to torture her the same way Bruce tortured me when I was Robin with those thoughts in mind "is he coming back alive?" I've been there, done that...I know how it feels. Maybe...this is the way that I can be a better brother somehow, I can be a great partner to her...a second chance to be a partner, although it's funny how...I was the sidekick and now she wants to be my sidekick, does she? "I can even be called a sidekick if you want." She does want to be a sidekick, why, would anyone wanna be called a stupid sidekick "just as long as I can watch your back" that's why.

If I'm always away on these missions as Red Hood and I just leave her behind alone at home, then it's harder for me to keep an eye on her, but if she's fighting side by side with me...then it could be easier to watch her right? Maybe...just maybe...but what if she dies like I did? It would be my fault…

"Jason?" She pulls me back into reality "you're not changing my mind...ever. When I make up my mind I never change it" I can tell she's telling the truth. I stare into her callous but serious eyes, then slowly...I nod. A small smile tugs on her lips "it's not like I needed your approval anyways" she mutters as she brushes the hair on her face with her fingers. Ahh yes, this is Autumn, my annoying but caring little sister, it's only been a week and I've already warmed up to this little girl.

I sigh "one week...come up with a mantle, a suit, a name...I wanna test your skills, see if your ready to go on the field" she rolls her eyes "no worries Jase, as long as I get to watch your back" she's back to her old self "and you do know the consequences of your choice" she rolls her eyes again "you do know the consequences of your choice" she imitates me with a low mocking voice "I told don't worry so much" "well you do" "well you go on a suicide mission every night" "...you won't be able to live a normal life" "Please, I don't know the meaning of normal, plus you're my brother, The Red Hood...I don't think I will ever know the meaning of 'normal'" she smiles. "One week" I repeat and she nods "although I'm warning you...I'm, different on the field" I nod "I am too" she nods and walks out my door.

I sit on my bed and turn on the TV "Bane was found, with a couple of dead men who were formerly drug dealers, burned, stabbed and shot at. Bane was immediately brought to Gotham General by the GCPD, the man or woman who has inflicted many injuries to this criminal is still unknown. Although many suspect that this is the work of The Red Hood." I raise my eyebrow and turn my head to look out the window , a dream catcher hangs on the screen of the window.

I smirk.


	8. Replacement of the Replacement

**Chapter 8: Replacement of the Replacement**

**Damian's POV**

Finally! I've finally earned my birthright! Drake has finally been kicked out of the position I was born to fill. Drake didn't even deserve to be Robin; he's weak and...well, not me. Robin was made for me, and I know it. Grayson, Todd, and Brown were just temporary replacements to help satisfy my father's need for a Robin (obviously they weren't fit for the role because look at where they are now!) I knew Father would come to his senses sometime soon. At first he said that I was only temporarily filling the role because Drake was "busy somewhere else," but I ended up filling the role permanently. I love being Robin (as I said, Robin is my birthright, being Batman's only actual blood son) but I don't approve of the way my father handles criminals. He just locks them up again so that they can wreak havoc once they escape Arkham or Blackgate. He should just decapitate their ugly heads and enjoy the sound of metal cutting through bone and the scarlet stream of blood flowing from their limp bodies. However, I still admire my father. He took me in, even when I thought he wouldn't accept me. He even let me know once that he was proud of me. I felt like crying, but I was still somehow able to keep my emotions in. When I was younger living with my mother and grandfather and training with the League of Assassins, it's like I was forced to bottle up my emotions, forget about them, and send them away out to sea. But ever since I've joined Father and his family, it's like that bottle has found its way back to me, and I'm having trouble resisting the temptation to reopen the bottle and set my emotions free. Shit. My life is complicated.

Even though my mother and grandfather didn't intend for this to happen, I actually enjoy being Robin. I have a feeling they wanted me to mess with Father's head and waver his focus on his "job."

I remember when Father told me that I could be Robin. I was so excited and relieved that he finally ditched Drake (even though I later found out that he was just doing business somewhere else). The first thing I did was have Alfred help me with my Robin costume. There was no way I was using Grayson's, Todd's, or Drake's old costume (and obviously definitely not Brown's!) . Grayson and Todd weren't wearing pants! And Drake's costume was...Drake's. There was no way I was wearing something that weakling wore. I didn't want to be seen as the Robin who came after Drake. I want to be the Robin who was obviously better than all of the Robins. I wanted to make my own identity behind the mask. I immediately added pants, a hood, and a place to put my sword sheath.

I am Robin, the best Robin to have ever fought alongside Batman. I am the only blood son. The best son.

**Tim's POV**

I cannot believe that brat is Robin! He nearly tried to kill me, Dick, Jason, and even Chris! (well they didn't exactly have good impressions of each other at first). I feel betrayed by Bruce. I understand that there might be slight favoritism towards Damian (he does have Bruce's DNA), but I didn't expect him to rip me of my title! Robin was a part of me. When I was Robin, I could unleash all the pain I had on the world: the way I felt about how my father died, the way he was killed before I told him I was Robin, and now, how I feel about losing a part of me. There was no way I could keep all of my feelings inside me like that demon does, so I guess I have to take on a new mantle. Still... that son of a bitch of a brother stole my privilege. He doesn't even know how to discipline himself when it comes to "getting the job done." I can't believe this...

It took a while for me to convince Batman to let me become Robin. Ever since Jason's death, he became darker, more brutal. It was then that Dick and I realized that he needed a Robin to quell his insanity. After much persuading from Dick, Alfred, and I, I finally became Robin. I thought I was going to be Robin for the rest of my life (until obviously I grew too old for it or Bruce retired and handed the mantle to Dick). Suddenly, this boy (I don't even know if he's human) struts in and becomes Robin without any trouble! Damn it! I hate him so much! Why Bruce! Ugh... f*** this. I'd better figure out my new title. The title that will signal my independence, just like Nightwing and Red Hood, although Dick told me that Red Hood got help from some girl during their last encounter. I wonder who she is. I might investigate a bit after I get over this betrayal.

**A/N: Okay so we see that you guys really like Cass and all but we're gonna get straight to the point...Cass ain't gonna be here! We don't plan on adding Cass or Stephanie okay? But thanks for the constructive criticism, it's always appreciated. NO FLAMING PLEASE!**


	9. Family, Meet Phoenix

**Chapter 9: Family, Meet Phoenix**

**Damian's POV**

"Who is she?" I ask. Father, Grayson, Drake, Carter (I decided to listen to her), Pennyworth, and I are all gathered in the Batcave standing in front of the BatComputer as it lists all of Jason's/ Red Hood's connections. I thought we were all going out on patrol, but I guess Father thinks revealing the identity of this "mystery girl" is more important.

"Dick, what else do you remember about her?" Bruce asks him while examining the photos popping up on the screen.

"Ummm...she's about Chris' height, she looks like any average girl, she was wearing all black and a hood over her head so I couldn't see her face and when the lightning flashed I thought I saw green eyes...that's it, I think."

"Thanks Grayson, all that information you just gave us will surely narrow it down!" I say sarcastically.

He just gives me a disapproving look that I return as to mock him. We end up having a staring contest (that I dominated Grayson at) which ends once Father abruptly stands up and places his hands on the computer.

"So tell me about her...I wasn't updated." We all turn to Drake (except Father) "I was working on...stuff, and my Red Robin uniform!" Drake excuses. "We don't know her name yet but...she's killed 20 people within the week, she's been handling The Red Hood's drug ring, and she's been sighted fighting along side with The Red Hood...Jeez Tim!" Carter explains. "Hey, I was only recently put back on the job!" He excuses.

"Shush" Father suddenly catches all of our attention. On the BatComputer, a blue line suddenly appears on a black screen, a recording. At first there is only gun shots and yelling, then a man's voice echoes in the cave. "Please...don't...don't kill me...mercy...please" I can tell that the man is slowly dying. "P...please...mercy," the random man whispers as he slowly dies. A cold hard laugh suddenly echoes the Cave: Todd's voice...followed by the voice of a young girl. "Mercy? MERCY? Did you show _mercy_ to those children you killed? Or to the women and men that you killed? Why should I pity you? You don't _deserve_ it." The child's voice is cold and hard, it sends a cold feeling up my spine "Wh...who are you?" The man whispers breathlessly. "I am The Red Hood's partner...I am Phoenix, it is the last name you will ever hear," then a haunting scream echoes in the cave and I sense almost everyone tense at the sound. A short silence. "CONSIDER THIS A WARNING TO ALL YOU SCUMBAGS...ANYONE THAT DOESN'T WORK UNDER THE HOOD, ALL WHO CROSSES OUR PATH, WILL DIE." The girl's voice is venomous, loud and...can strike fear into anyone's heart...anyone but mine.

There's a heavy silence in the Cave, then Father speaks up. "The recording was found in a club of drug dealers. The man that died in the recording was one of the lieutenants. The club was full of 117 dealers, and only 48 made it out alive... When I was questioning some of the dealers in Gotham General, he gave the recording to me. He said that most of his "friends" have already spread the word. The dealer gave me the recording before he went into shock." Father says.

"So she's Jason's partner?" Grayson makes sure, but the silence of Father answers him.

"The BatComputer can't identify her, so maybe they met recently. Everyone get in the Batmobile. There's only one way to find out who she _really _is."

We all hop in, and I end up sitting next to Carter in the back. She ended up not being so bad. I realized that she wasn't some incompetent, foolish young lady when she found me trying to pull a prank on Grayson. Instead of busting me, she made the prank even better. It was worth being grounded for two months when we saw Grayson super-glued onto the highest part of the trunk of the 50 ft tree on the property. He was covered in shit and cat litter while trying to scratch every part of his body (I'd like to personally thank the man (no way a woman would have had such an ingenious idea) who invented itching powder) as all 7 of my cats tried to get to him.

"I bet that girl is working with Todd because he's such a pedophile and he's threatening her somehow." I whisper so softly to Carter that I barely move my lips. I hope no one else heard me. The smirk on my face dies when she elbows me roughly in my side. Damn, that hurt. I thought she would ask me what pedophile means...wait...she knows what pedophile means?! If Father is overprotective of his three sons, then he is super Super SUPER overprotective of Carter. One time she told Father that she wanted to hang out with her friends, which consisted of some boys, and Father didn't just say "Absolutely NOT" to her, he locked her in her room, took away all of her electronics and gadgets, and ordered Pennyworth to stay in her room with her to prevent her from trying to sneak out or contact her friends. I'm surprised Father even _let_ her become Nightingale, but I guess he justified that by training her _way _longer than she trained the three of us.

"I would _not_ want to be in your mind." She whispers back. HOLY SHIT! Either I'm going completely insane, or my entire family has been lying to me about my sister's personality the entire time I've known her (they all say she's just a sweet, loving, innocent little girl)! She understands all this shit! WTF? I look at her again in disbelief, and then I swear I am going insane. She's trying hard not to smile!? There's no way the family knows that she understands all this "mature" stuff, and they definitely don't know that she's known it for a while, because only people who have known this crap for a certain period of time would laugh at inappropriate jokes. How does she know all this shit?! I guess Father hasn't protected her well enough... Now I like my sister even more. She found out about this stuff without Father or Grayson knowing, she's been able to deceive everyone for God knows how long, and Father, the Batman, has absolutely no idea! At least I think he has no idea, he might have a hunch... but if he did, then he would've done something about it... okay, okay...calm down before you explode and guts and blood and skin and flesh fly everywhere...

I guess no one is _truly _innocent.

**Autum's POV**

"Suit up, we're infiltrating a laboratory" "we gonna blow it up?" "First...we're gonna take out the hostages they're experimenting on, then we'll blow up the damn place". "Okay" I jump out of the couch and I walk to my bed room.

I put on my suit, it's actually not too tight, I've worn much tighter clothes. it's completely black with a fiery Phoenix insignia on my chest, my sleeves reach up until my wrists, and my clothing is until my neck, I'm armored to the teeth. I put on my leather gloves and my boots that has a slight heel with a hidden compartment big enough for a knife, I strap on my two brown belts around my waist. I wear my wrist computer, then my shiny leather jacket that has 3/4 sleeves, that reaches only until my stomach, and has hidden compartments everywhere, I wear my other belt like a sash. I load two guns and stuff them in the holsters on my thighs, I hide my knives in the hidden compartments and my favorite shiny dagger is hidden in my sleeve.

I hold my mask as I stare at myself in the mirror. Why did I chose the name Phoenix? It brings back memories...I had a friend, she was a kind and loving woman, she could have been a good mother even...she understood me, because she was a meta like me...but then...she couldn't control her powers, she was killing everyone and she didn't want to...so she killed herself to save everyone else she cared about...she called herself...The Phoenix.

Childish laughing echoes in my mind and I'm pulled into a memory. "Describe me" I told my best friend...Jake "what? Why?" He sounded alarmed that time "can't you see? I'm writing a story! My character looks exactly like me, I can't describe myself, so I'm asking you to do it, now describe me." I said when I was eleven years old "what like your face?" "Yup, just the face...oh and do it in a third person way" I said not looking away from my notebook "well...um...her skin is as white and soft as snow, her eyes are hard, full of thoughts, but callous and still sparkling with wonder and ideas...her smile comes once in a life time so when she does smile...everyone must watch...her lips are dry and pink, her hair is dark brown, silky and smooth but still wavy, the cut of her hair is right in the middle and her bangs fall right down the sides of her face, split in half. She's-" "Woah, woah Jake, not too descriptive!" I looked at him "I'm a very detailed writer" he crossed his arms and I remember rolling my eyes.

I'm pulled back into reality once I blink my eyes. Jason says that whenever I'm on a mission...dim and mild fire starts to ignite around my body, on my arms whenever. I run or punch, around my feet whenever I step on the ground...but the fire doesn't burn, it doesn't burn me or my enemies...it's just there...like the ghost of my friend, the ghost of my father, my mothers, my little brother, I don't feel the heat but I know it's there.

Whenever I put on the mask...I become...different, everything goes away, the pain just goes away, all the happiness and all the sadness just goes away...all that's left is my mild rage (it's better than pain and sadness right?) Whenever I put on my mask...I feel...numb, like a ghost haunting the halls of a mansion, I'm not sure if what I'm feeling is freedom or, whatever...in fact, it's as if I'm feeling...nothing...as if the beautiful redness of rage has taken over and spread from my chest. Maybe I shouldn't have taken this mantle...but it's too late to back out now.

****Break****

"Remember the plan" I don't like remembering..."yeah, I got it" I walk up to the wired wall where many guards are standing. A bright spot light, guards and guns point to me. "Hey, kid what the hell are you doing here? And why are you dressed up as a hero?" One of them mocks me, I only narrow my eyes. "One, I'm not a hero, and two...I'm here to kill you all." I run towards the gate and take my guns, I shoot every guard in sight as I jump over the wired fence, my boots hit the fence and I use the fence as a launching pad, and I jump higher, I shoot every one of them right in between their eyes.

A large military truck advances towards me, and a man with a huge machine gun shoots at me as the truck forwards. I keep my guns and I simply jump over the truck and touch it with my gloved hand. My glove doesn't burn but the truck does from top to bottom. I land on my feet right behind the bright red and black burning truck, I can hear the screaming of the men inside the truck. I simply hum in response as I walk towards the gate and open it up. Another military truck comes in through the gateway and Red Hood pops his head out the window. "Get in," he commands and I hop in the passenger seat without a word. "Buckle up." I simply roll my eyes at his statement

The truck drives into the newly painted white wall. We crash through it and run over a few scientists; I jump out of the truck.

20-30 Guards advance at us, I'm surrounded so quickly but I simply smirk. I kick the guard's face that's about to push me down. I elbow the guard in the nose next to me, I throw a punch on another man, I do an overhead kick on a man's face, I punch a scientist and take out my guns, I shoot all the men with my hands in an X as I jump across the room, I elbow the man then shoot him. I shoot everyone in sight, I flip and kick, I punch then crouch then shoot.

I take the man by his head and head butt him. I jump and kick two people at the same time, I shoot everyone until there's nothing but crimson red blood on the floor. Red Hood walks beside me as we walk in the elevator after taking a good look of the chaos we just caused. Elevator music starts to play as we go down deeper into the building. I look at the camera at the side of the elevator, I give a small venomous smile before I pull out my gun and shoot the camera. I keep my gun and pull out my knife as the elevator door opens. A man is about to enter the elevator before I take him by his neck, and throw his face against the wall, holding his hands behind his back and putting my knife on his trachea. Red Hood only looks at me, I can tell he's smirking under his helmet. "WHERE ARE THE HOSTAGES" I growl "d...down there...8c23" I smile "thank you...for your cooperation" and I cut his neck and leave him to bleed to death on the floor.

"I'll plant the bombs, go get the hostages" Red Hood says moving the other way in the hallway. I walk down the hallway to room 8c23.

Cages...large cages, and crying. Children crying to their mothers in each cage, fathers trying to get out, the scent of blood and death filling the hallways of cages. I stab the power box right next to me with my knife and the lights go out and the bars suddenly open. The wailing of the children gets louder as the families walk out of their cages, quietly and slowly. There are about twenty families in each cage. "Everybody listen up!" I yell and I sense the families tense. "Who...who are you? Where are you?" I hear a woman exclaim. "P...please help us..." A man says. "Don't worry, you're all getting out, today." I snap my fingers and flames start to come up and light my face. "We're rescuing you." I walk out the door. "Follow me and be quick." As we all step out of the room the alarms are blaring in my ears.

We all run, "Go, go, go!" I stop in my tracks as the people run down the halls "Up the stairs! Now!" I kick down the door of the stairs and they all run up. Dozens of guards are already nearing the door, but I shoot them with my guns until I'm all out...just to buy us some time. "Bombs are set." Hood's voice runs through the com. "I'll meet you upstairs."

I run up the stairs after the frantic families and I kill anyone who tries to stop me from going up. A child trips and nearly falls but I catch him and carry him up the stairs. Finally, we reach the door, and every single person gets up the stairs. I hold the door in place and use my powers to close it shut. I put the kid down, and he runs to his mother. I meet up with Hood and before anyone could react to seeing the man, we run towards the door. "Everyone out now!" We all frantically run out the door and through the gateway where dead bodies await us, Red Hood runs right beside me.

We run out of the open gateway where another huge truck awaits us. The guards are still after us as Red and I load the families into the very large truck. Red Hood steps on it, I can still hear the crying and wailing. "Call GCPD." I throw one of the fathers a phone and he starts calling immediately. Once we're far enough, Red Hood stops. He brings out a small trigger from his jacket and presses the button before anyone can stop us. We get out of the truck as we watch the explosion happen right before our eyes. I open the back of the truck and let the people out. "You're safe now, they won't hurt any of you again." They all get out and some mothers suddenly burst into tears. Hood and I stand side by side with all this...crying. "Must've been traumatizing huh?" I tell him and he nods "I know traumatizing." We hear police sirens come our way and we take out our grappling hooks and shoot them upwards at the same time.

**Bruce's POV**

I stop the car and we end up right in front of a building of ashes and flames. Commissioner Gordon walks up to me. "I see you've brought your family...although you are all a bit too late." "I can see," Robin says. "What happened here?" Nightwing asks. "Apparently, hostages were taken and experimented on secretly in this facility right here," he gestures to the ashes. "No one knew though, but somehow, the Hood found out and rescued the hostages and managed to blow up the building." "Was anyone else helping him?" Nightingale asks. Gordon puts his hand on the back of his neck. "Uh yeah, the witnesses say that he was with some girl that's somehow able to burn things just by touching them..." "Phoenix..." I mumble. "Yeah her, she's The Red Hood's new partner apparently," Gordon says and I turn my back on him and head for the car. Dick mumbles a quick "thank you" before following me. "We were too late." I grumble.

_****Break****_

It's already three in the morning and none of my children seem tired with all the surprises The Red Hood is giving us. The only way to find Jason is to follow the destruction and frightened drug dealers.

"TELL ME WHERE THEY ARE!" I choke the dealer, slowly and painfully as I clench my teeth. "P...please!" The man chokes, "I'll talk!" I let go and he breathes heavily. "They...they blew up my gang's hideout...last I heard they were in Crime Alley." I narrow my eyes at the scumbag and turn around and leave him with Red Robin and Nightwing. "Father, I think we have a trace on him." Damian's voice blows in my ear over the com. "Where are you?" "Crime Alley, Batman...and you might want to take a look at this."

After Nightwing ties up the man, we head to Crime Alley in the Bat Mobile. We stop by an old construction site where NIghtingale and Robin are waiting for us. Nightingale walks to me. "Batman...you should take a look at this." She turns around and walks into the building that's still under construction.

I narrow my eyes even more with the sight before me. Dead bodies...everywhere, all over the wooden floor, hanging over the window, on top of crates, some are coated in cement, others are in the construction site elevator laying in puddles of blood. There are bodies with no heads, some heads simply roll on the floor in puddles of blood, there are bodies that seem to have their skin burned off, others have cuts on their necks left to slowly die. Some have knives stuck in their hearts and others have bullets in their heads or stomachs...the lucky ones that were murdered quickly. "The Red Hood has just hit a whole new level of brutal." Chris comments.

I crouch down where a decapitated head lays in a large puddle of blood. On the head's forehead is a bloody note taped to it. "Gross..." Tim states. I take the note and I easily recognize Jason's hand writing.

_I hear you've been looking for me, well then, see all of you in the Gotham Docks, where I'll just be dying to introduce you all to my new friend._

_-JT_

"Let's go." I command as I drop the note and walk away. "Where to?" Damian catches up with me. "Gotham Docks."

**Tim's POV**

We drive to the docks in silence.

Whoever this girl is, I'm guessing she's in trouble with The Red Hood, whatever Jason's doing to her, forcing her to commit these crimes, we'll help her get out of this, whoever she is...she needs our help. I never knew Jason would go this far and force a young girl to commit these crimes and force her to sound insane like she did in the recording, and force her to be his partner. Why would Jason even need a partner? I thought he was more of solo act. Why would he force a young girl into this kind of life? Stop her from living a normal life? I know The Red Hood's evil and insane and all but would he really go this far? I can only imagine how scared this girl is right now...but if she was some kind of hostage then why would she come up with a name and all if Red Hood's forcing her to do these things? Why would Jason even want a partner? Why would he force an innocent girl into killing criminals, and talking like an evil person would? Gaaah, this is a frustrating mystery!

I look out the window and at the dying trees that we're passing by to get to the docks. Whatever happened to this girl, we're gonna help her, and she's gonna come with us even if we have to fight Jason for this innocent life. We'll save her, I mean why wouldn't she want to be saved right?

The car stops and we get out. Gotham Docks is really dark and cold, right by the sea, surrounded by a lot of creepy boats...it's quiet, too quiet. "Stay close," Batman says. We walk forward together, examining the area, waiting for an attack. "So glad you could make it!" We all turn our heads to the left, where Hood is standing on a boat with his hands crossed over his chest. I can practically see the smirk behind his helmet. "Hood." Batman growls as we all turn to face him. Batman steps forward and points at him. "Where is she?" he spits, but Jason only cocks his head. "Where is who?" "The girl, Phoenix!" Nightwing steps in. "Huh," Red Hood breathes and jumps down the boat. "She's right there." He points to someone behind us and I turn to the left where there are a huge bunch of wooden crates. Then out of the shadows, a girl steps out of the shadows. She's about Chris' height, like Dick said. She has dark hair and white skin. She's wearing a black suit that covers from her boots, to her wrists until her neck, a black leather jacket that has ½ sleeves, a red mask, two belts and a sash, plus a bright red orange Phoenix insignia plastered on her chest. She has a small grin on her face as she simply walks around us and to Red Hood's side. "Family, this is Phoenix, Phoenix, this is Family." Jason introduces. "Now...I heard you were looking for us?"

I can see Batman narrow his eyes. "Look, we're not here for a fight," I say as I step forward. "I see..." Jason says sarcastically. "Then what are you here for?" Damian steps forward and points to the girl. "For her," he implies. "What about me?" Her voice is cold and hard, she's a pretty good actress.

Nightingale moves closer to Phoenix. "Listen, we're here to save you." Phoenix's face is emotionless with a small frown tugging at her lips. "Whatever he's doing to you," Chris points to Jason, "we can help you. Come with us. You'll be okay, he won't hurt you anymore. We know he's forcing you to do these things, we know you don't want to do these things." "We can help you." I reason, while I imagine how much fear this girl is hiding right now, I'm imagining that she'll run to us like a kid and tell us all that happened. None of us move when the short silence occurs, even Red Hood looks uncomfortable with the situation at hand. Then Phoenix speaks up, "Then what? You'll send me to the social services?" For a second I see Jason tense, but I think I was just imagining it. Batman narrows his eyes. "No, we're going to help you, just come with us." "And what are you going to do to him?" she gestures to Red Hood who seems really tense now. A longer silence and I'm sure that Bruce is still debating whether he should send Jason off to Arkham. There's no way Jason could handle us all at once. Wait, why does she care about what's going to happen to Jason? He's the one that forced her into doing this, how could she still care about him?

The girl doesn't move, and now there's a strong silence. Then she grins. "I can see the confused look on your faces, even you Batman," she gestures to Bruce. Suddenly Jason relaxes his shoulders, and I can feel his smirk return.

"You know, for a supposedly smart family...you guys a pretty stupid!" Damian starts to step forward and clenches his fists. Phoenix continues, "You guys think that Jason here, forced me into doing this?" Uh oh... "Hell no! This was my choice, all my idea, my path! I chose to kill all of those criminals, no one forced me into any of this!" I don't know what to say...looks like there is someone out there as crazy as Jason. I may not know what to say but Batman does. "What happened?" Looks like Bruce has already considered this happening. I guess he already formed a 'what if this girl is evil' contingency plan. The girl raises an eyebrow "Why?" Batman asks. Phoenix answers, "You asking what happened to me? Why I turned out like this? Well, new flash, I was always like this, from the day I was born...I had no choice." "We all have a choice," Nightwing says. "True...well, this was what I was taught...actually, I didn't understand it at first, why the criminals had to die. Then I realized...it was because it would never end if you simply throw them in jail." I glance at Chris who has her eyebrows furrowed. "Actually, now that I think about it...it was HIS fault!" She points to Batman.

What did he do to cause this? What happened? Am I missing something? Does Bruce know what she's talking about? "I doubt any of you know what I'm talking about, but it's true. Batman's partially the reason why I turned out to be...insane," she growls. "You'll never know what I'm talking about, you probably won't remember. Besides, you'll never find out, not while I'm wearing this mask." She smiles, she seems to be enjoying our confusion.

Jason steps forward. "See, I didn't do anything this time" Batman narrows his eyes and starts to get into a fighting stance and the rest of us follow, but Hood and Phoenix stand proud. "So I guess this is the part where you all go like 'this has to stop.'" "Precisely," Damian growls. She cocks her head and narrows her eyes at Damian, and she mumbles something beyond my hearing range.

She looks up at Red Hood, and there's a very short silence before Jason nods, as if there's an unspoken communication between the two partners. Her frown comes back as she gets into her own fighting stance, I can tell that Phoenix has gotten some training...how much training?  
They advance. Phoenix heads for me, Chris, and Damian while Jason runs towards Batman and Nightwing. She doesn't even pull out her guns when she jumps towards us. She kicks my face and punches Damian in the gut. She crouches down avoiding Chris' punch and punches her stomach. Damian and I move towards her, but she turns and elbows Damian in the nose, I jump from behind her but she does and over-head kick and hits my head. Nightingale jumps up and kicks Phoenix in the face, but Phoenix quickly recovers as Nightingale perfectly lands on her feet. Phoenix grabs Damian's hair and head butts him. She punches my chest, and flips up and puts her hands on Chris' shoulders like a launching pad then lands on her feet right behind Chris. She elbows Chris' right shoulder and Chris grunts. Damian runs towards her with his sword slashing about but Phenix swiftly dodges his attacks. I notice sparks of fire surrounding her as she dodges, while I come up from behind her and kick her back. It's as if she doesn't feel any pain because immediately she turns and kicks my head while dodging Damian's attacks. I fall on a bunch of crates as Chris jumps towards Phoenix and hits Phoenix's neck. I get back up and run towards the insane young girl, but she flips up and does a split in the air kicking both me and Damian in our faces. Damian drops his sword and I recover still rubbing my jaw.

Nightingale punches Phoenix, up, down, right, left, but Phoenix blocks and dodges like she's as quick as Uncle Barry. Nightingale lands a hit on Phoenix's stomach and Phoenix nearly flies back, but instead she does a backflip and gets back on her feet, with a small grin on her face. Damian and I already look frustrated but I can see Phoenix and Nightingale still full of juice and excited about the action. "That all you got?" Nightingale taunts. "Actually, no. I'm just not allowed to kill you guys, Hood's orders." She got all that from a glance?

Damian runs towards her. "Tt. what a stupid excuse." He attempts to punch and kick her but she dodges and hits Damian's temples with her palms. She grabs Damian's arms and his body twists, now her mouth is in Robin's ear as his arms are held behind his back. I can see her whisper something in his ear as his eyes widen. She kicks his back and jumps up. She does a backflip in the air, almost similar to Dick's triple somersault and she kicks Chris' face and lands right in front of me. I kick and she blocks. She punches my stomach and I crouch to make the pain stop, but she doesn't waste any time and kicks my neck and hits every single pressure point a human has. I fall on the crates and black out.

**Damian's POV**

"Gaaaah!" I run towards the girl and punch her face, but she knees me in the stomach. I punch left and then I kick her neck, she jumps back and her feet touch the crates and she launches towards me. She kicks my abdomen and I stagger back. Carter suddenly comes up from behind her, but Phoenix elbows her and she grabs Nightingale's hands and head butts her. Phoenix jumps up and does a flip while kicking Nightingale in the face. Carter falls back towards where Drake lays. Phoenix turns to me and punches my face, but as her fist comes towards me, flames surround her arm. I fall back and wipe the blood out of my mouth. I run towards her and I punch, she blocks, I head butt, she ducks and punches me in the stomach and I spit out blood over her. She stands up and kicks my face, I stagger back then move back forward again but she moves back with much speed as fire surrounds her and I punch and kick but it's as if I'm hitting nothing but air. She punches my face with the fire surrounding her fist. My jaw hurts but I don't feel any burns. She kicks my temple and I fall to the floor. I hadn't even noticed that the rain had begun to pour and our hair is drenched in cold wetness. She stands over me. "I asked you a question Damian. How is Talia?" She mocks. "How…?" I breathe, "how do you know her?" "What? How do I know who she is? Or how do I know that she's your mother?" "Both." "I met her myself, she wouldn't, and you're asking me how I know that she's your mother?" "Yes." I hiss. "That's simple, you told me!" Lightning flashes from behind her. "Who are you?" "Come on now Damian, just because I know your little secret doesn't mean I'm gonna tell you mine," she grins. "Did Todd?" "Oh no, I figured it out on my own, when I was about 8 years old. No worries, Jason won't sell you guys out." She runs towards me in the wet rain as mild fire surrounds her, fire that doesn't go out, and doesn't burn. Then, her mask is the last thing I see before there's just blackness.

**Dick's POV**

I try to stand up as I watch Jason and Bruce fight...Jason's losing under the rain. Jason punches and kicks but Bruce is fast and hits Jason's helmet, and it cracks. "Stop this now!" Bruce kicks Jason and he falls to the floor. The rain pours harder as Batman stands above him. "You are coming with me." Batman says. "And what? Send me off to Arkham!?" Jason spits blood. "No! I'm not going to that hell hole!" Jason yells. "I don't want to take you to Arkham, Jason, I want to help you...come home-" "So you can have another chance at being my father!? You were never my father! From the day you chose not to avenge me!" Jason gets up and tries to punch Batman in the face but my dad sidesteps and Jason misses and falls to the ground on his hands and knees. I look to my left where Chris is trying to wake up Tim and Damian...great, this has just went from bad to worse. Wait, where's Phoenix?

Suddenly ninja stars come out of nowhere, I dodge them, and I jump up even with my bad injuries. Suddenly I feel a warm hand on my throat and the face of an angry girl...lightning flashes right behind her face, and now I perfectly see the darkness surrounding her despite the dim fire on her hand that doesn't burn. She clenches her teeth as the blood drips down her forehead. Her hair is completely drenched and strands are covering her face. "Let...us...help…" I choke. I yell once I feel something burning hot on my neck. She lets go of my neck and I slide to the ground holding my neck, coughing for air. "Help? You don't get it! I DON'T WANT YOUR HELP! I DON'T F***ING NEED IT!" I touch the light burn on my neck and I see the small grin on her neck. "You know...that burn on your neck will grow bigger by the second until it consumes you and burn you from head to toe." I feel it and as it slowly grows I yell, then it stops and cools down. The pain subsides and I clench my fists. "You're in luck. I learned how to make sure it doesn't burn right through you. I also learned how to stop the pain of the burn," she crouches down and whispers, "but that's not the only thing I learned about my powers, Grayson." My eyes widen but I don't speak. I only let the rain drops drip down my chin. "I can burn anything with just a blink of an eye." I can sense her smile as she stands up and hits my collarbone; I grunt when she kicks my temple. I fall on my side. The last thing I see is flames running towards a large dark shadow.

**Jason's POV**

"Jason, come with me...I can help you." "Not in your life…you'd have to kill my murderer first," he breathes. "You know I can't do that…" I sense him shake his head. Suddenly I hear light but swift footsteps heading towards Batman. I look up from the floor and watch my sister battle my ex-father. She jumps up and kicks Batman's face, Batman grabs her foot but she back flips and lands on her feet, Batman hits her temples and she counters with a hit to his abdomen and neck. She knees him in the gut and he kicks her side. She jumps up, avoiding an attack to the knee, and kicks Batman's face. Bruce jumps backwards, and now they're 5 feet apart in this rain.

"Come with me, let me help you." "WHY WOULD I COME WITH YOU? YOU'RE THE REASON WHY THIS ALL HAPPENED! WHY THIS HAPPENED TO ME AND WHY THAT HAPPENED TO JASON!" She gestures to me. "Tell me what happened to you." I can see my little sister radiating darkness. "It doesn't matter now…" The unburning flames grow under her boots. Her hair is drenched in the cold rain but mild fire surrounds her. I can see darkness surrounding her like a ghost whispering in her ear, like she's a part of the shadows. Maybe I made a mistake of dragging her into this, maybe I can still pull her out... "THIS IS MY CHOICE, MY PATH! AND NO ONE CAN TAKE IT AWAY FROM ME!" She yells...yup it's too late...well, shit. I realize that Phoenix isn't Jason Todd's sister, she's Red Hood's sister, while Autumn is Jason's sister...she has different sides, I get it now...just like I have different sides.

She advances towards Batman and punches as fast as she can. She kicks his temple, elbows his neck and knees his gut. She ducks, avoiding his punches, and punches his jaw. He kicks her and uses his fists to hit both her temples. Phoenix stumbles backwards and somehow the blood dripping down her head and nose gets worse. She wipes it with the back of her hand. "Enough!" Batman tries to command...but the thing is, Autumn and Phoenix don't listen to anyone but me, her big brother. "GO TO HELL." She advances and hits all of Batman's pressure points then kicks his face. Lightning strikes and for a second I see the patches of burns that Phoenix made on my ex-mentor. Well, it's a good thing she didn't burn him to death like she did with those drug dealers. I slowly get up as Batman and Phoenix battle again. Now Batman's winning, and I can clearly see the rip on Phoenix's mask and the wounds on her arms. Well, I'm guessing this is harder for her since I didn't allow her to use guns or knives.

I gather all my strength and run towards The Batman. I punch him and hit his temple, and Phoenix joins in and we kick him at the same time. She jumps up and uses my shoulders as a launching pad for her palms and kicks Batman's face as I slide my foot on the floor and hit his knees.

I'm hitting him low and she's hitting him high. Batman doesn't have a chance against the both of us. Phoenix stops and stands behind me as I grab Batman's cowl and head butt him. I elbow his chest and hit his gut with my knee. I side kick his chest and he falls, spitting blood. "Batman, I want to know...how does it feel? TO BE BEATEN BY FAMILY? HUH?!" He only breathes and I connect my boot with his face and he falls lower, still trying to get up. "What does it feel like, for someone to turn their backs on you? Does it hurt?" I kick his chest and now I feel the anger coming back to me. "Does it sting?" I kick his face and I stand above the man that was once my father. "Well it should." I turn my back on him and walk away and look at Nightingale who is now trying to get Dick, Tim and Damian up. I take one good look at Dick's sister as my own sister stands behind me with clenched fists. Nightingale scowls at us and I turn my back on her.

Phoenix stands right in front of Christine Carter, staring at her with that anger still radiating around her. Holy shit, is she planning to burn Nightingale to death? No wait...Autumn just turned around and walked behind me. "Let's go," I state before all of a sudden Autumn catches a batarang from behind her with her fingers...wow, Christine probably threw that, I didn't even expect it, hell, I didn't even see it. Autumn clutches the batarang and it melts in her palms. She turns around and looks at Nightingale as rain drenches both of their dark hair. "I'm sorry I didn't say goodbye to your family Carter. So just tell them I said bye okay?" Nightingale glares and scowls at her, but Phoenix just smirks. "We'll meet again next time... hopefully it's a bit less bloody." She gestures to my "brothers" who are on the floor with drops of blood marking the wood of the docks. "Good to finally meet you Christine." I bark before I shoot my grappling gun up and Autumn follows right behind me.

****Break****

We run on the roofs of The East End as the sun comes up. "Sun's coming up Phoenix! We better go!" She runs right in front of me with her hair blowing right behind her as flames spark on a few flocks of hair and flames surround her arms and every step that she takes. We jump to the next building at the same time. "I parked my motor just by that alley!" I yell over the wind. "I got my own ride," she says. "What?" I jump off the building and down to where my motorcycle is parked. "Comin'?" I look up at my sister, but instead she pulls out something that looks like a short-sized red orange and black baton. She presses a button and jumps off the building. As she falls through the air, the baton suddenly, somehow, transforms in the air. Once she hits the ground, she's sitting on a freaking red orange and black motorcycle. She smirks in my direction. "Like it? I got the old motorcycle from the garage and tricked it out a bit." "A bit? The thing turns into a baton!" I start my engine and it roars. "Let's see how fast that thing really is." I step on it and drive. In no time, Autumn has already caught up with me and we drive at the same speed on our way home.

**A/N: HOPE YOU GUYS LIKE IT, LEAVE A REVIEW PLEASE**


	10. Sanity

**Chapter 10: Sanity**

**Autumn's POV**

I walk out of my room and quietly head towards the kitchen. I grab a cereal box, dump some in a bowl and I get some milk and pour it on my cereal. I take a spoon and sit down. I eat my cereal.

It's funny, how I'm injured and all. I've got bandages wrapped around my arm, and a large piece of cotton taped to my right temple. My other hand is covered in white bandages, and there is a band aid on my cheek (courtesy of Eliza), and on top of all that...I only got about one hour of sleep, yet I'm up at 7:30am...ugh...why does my body force me to wake up once the sun comes up? It's...annoying...well, actually, it doesn't really matter...I like waking up early, I like the warmth of the sun, and how it shines brightly in my eyes, and that smell of a new day…it reminds me of a second chance...

I like the day, but not as much as I love the night. The night and the darkness reminds me of pain, of anger, and fear...the three things that I learned to become, to adapt to, to live with. I've learned to be a part of the darkness, to grow in pain and to spread fear in the world. The night reminds me, of the painful but beautiful memories of the past.

I'm pulled out of my thoughts when I hear Jason's bedroom door shut. He sits right in front of me in the kitchen table blankly staring at nothing. He's got bandages wrapped around his head, and over his chest under his shirt, and around both his hands as well. "Hey Jase, morning" his hair is really messy and his face seems a bit wet, there's a large frown on his face. "Nightmare?" I ask putting my empty cereal bowl on the sink, Jason doesn't say anything, all he does is frown. I walk towards my room without another word, I close the door behind me and I sigh.

I sit on my bed and stare at my room...every time I enter this room, nightmares haunt my mind, about The Joker, my dad, Batman...those are the nightmares I can live with. But the nightmares I can barely cope up with, are the ones when I'm in a meadow with my little brother and my foster mom, at first there's laughing coming from my little brother as he runs through the meadow, but then suddenly the ground eats him up and I try to save him, but I fail. I turn to look at my mom and she wouldn't say anything, she would give me a disappointed look that says everything, before she would get eaten up in the ground as well as my world turns red...those nightmares usually make me wake up crying and crawling up into a ball.

Sometimes I have nightmares about Ducra telling me all my flaws, all my mistakes, telling me how broken I am! It wasn't easy having Ducra as a mentor...at all. It wasn't easy having Talia and my dad as a mentor either...nothing's easy anymore, sometimes, I wonder if things would be better if I just shove a bullet down my throat.

I lay down on my bed and groan, why must the world be so cruel? First, my childhood was taken away from me, then my father, then my little brother and my mother, then my birth mother and then what's next? My big brother, the only brother I have left, and the brother that I look up to?! "I HATE THE WORLD!" I scream out of rage as I clutch the sheets. "Gaaah!" I rub my face trying to remove the frustrated tears out of my eyes "WHY CAN'T I JUST DIE? WHY, WHY?" I scream, and that feeling of the world on my back gets heavier "I don't understand…" I whisper "why can't life just be...I don't know...not like this?" I whisper to nobody "from the day I was born...there was only pain...just pain, and darkness...why? Other kids have light, laughter, happiness! Why didn't I get that? Why did I have to grow up in anger, why did I have to be...a loner? Why was there never any happiness in my life?! WHY?"

Then there's a soft knock on my door "come in" I say and Jason opens the door "hey Autumn, you okay?" "yeah" I say quickly "you still up for a training session later?" "What's it gonna be?" "Escrima" I nod "okay" "unless...you don't want anymore, cause I heard yelling from you room" "huh, dad never asked me whether I wanted to train or not. That only happened occasionally" I mumble "what?" He asks "nothing, I just said that I'm gonna train later" "okay" he nods and leaves and shuts the door.

I stare at the door for a moment, then back up the ceiling and I groan and blink away the tears in my eyes. Another thought hits my mind. What happened last night? I wonder how Jason's family is right now? What about Damian? I bet he's pretty freaked out...but the way I fought last night, it's..unbecoming of me. God, has Phoenix taken over? I remember enjoying the fight, but when I saw Jason on the ground, I lashed out and...I nearly killed Richard Grayson.

Am I turning insane? Or am I already insane? Maybe, all these years I've always been insane, I just stuff the insanity in a bottle...but when I'm The Phoenix, all that insanity...it just bursts out. Maybe...but I'm not giving this up, no.

I can no longer hide this insanity lurking in my mind, this rage consuming my heart, the shadows whispering in my ear...making my vision full of red. Sometimes...when I lay in this room and stare at the ceiling, I can't help but hear blood dripping down a knife. Rage, pain, insanity, it's slowly taking over, the whispers get louder and louder everyday...it's funny, how my only source of sanity is family, and that's my big brother, and he's just as insane as I am, maybe even more insane...who knows.

I don't even notice the warm wetness dripping down my eyes as I look up.

Have I gone insane? Has Death become my other partner? Shit, I'm a monster...I laugh whenever I hear the sorry screams of those people I kill, I know it's wrong...but I've never cared...not since my father left. I am insane...I simply hide it under this second mask called a smile. I have many masks, just like many heroes do, happiness, sadness, anger, maybe even jealousy, even pain is a mask, and the fact that I spread fear could be another mask, the shadows cover my entire face...I know who I am on the inside...A scared little girl, waiting for her daddy to come and save her.

Everytime I put on the suit, I feel hard and cold, like there's another set of unbreakable armour surrounding me. I feel no mercy, no guilt whenever I put on the mask. I know that Jason has noticed my change of personality. I'm surprised he hasn't taken The Phoenix away from me yet...but really, what would be the point of taking Phoenix away, I am her, no matter what happens, I'll always be insane...because Phoenix and insanity have already been a permanent part of me since the day I lost my childhood; I don't even remember what my age was when I lost my sanity and my childhood...was it after my dad died? After the training with the All Caste? When my mom and my brother left? After the war? After that traumatizing moment when the escape pod crashed to earth? Or was it just fate's plan for me to lose my childhood?

The difference between The Red Hood and The Phoenix is that he still has a soul to show; my soul burns in dark fire frozen in ice...but we both still have our souls, no matter how broken they are.

Sanity...isn't in this house, it's not coming from me or my brother, there's only that feeling of the ghost haunting our minds. But sometimes I wonder...can we pull each out of the fire...could there still be a little sanity, a little happiness, some sort of warmth left in this house? Maybe, I can still save my older brother, my only family. Maybe he can save me too. But soon we will both fall into that dark abyss and lose it all, and we'll need a hero to save us, to save my brother and to save me.

I sit up and change into sweat pants and a tight shirt. Then I walk to the training hall where Jason's already waiting. I take the Escrima sticks sitting on the bench and stand in front of the wooden dummy. "You sure you're good?" I ask him. "Yeah, I've been through worse." I know. He stands in front of the dummy right next to mine. "Ready position." I say and get into my ready position. My left arm is over of my stomach and in my right hand the stick is pointing to the back of my right ear. "Go." We start slow and smooth at first, somehow synchronized like siblings are. Right hand-right temple, left hand-right hip, right hand-left hip, left hand-right temple, right hand-left temple. We start slowly as if we're flowing like water or like the blowing wind. Then, we go quicker. Left hand hits the right temple, right hand hits the left thigh, left hand hits the left shoulder, turn, then right hand hits the neck, jump, right hand hits the forehead, left hand hits the abdomen, right hand hits the jaw, left kick, right hits the side, left hits the hip, turn then kick the chest.

Both our wooden dummies flies across the room and crashes into the wall, Jason's dummy goes first then mine comes next. We get into our ready positions again, with serious faces across our faces (really, we're almost the same!), then we relax our shoulders. I walk towards the bench. "Told you I was good." Jason comments, "No stupid injuries can keep me down." I sit down and drink water as I roll my eyes and Jason wipes his sweat away. "We got a mission today?" I ask him. "Well, we're going on patrol tonight." "Okay." That's great. That means no mission...yay…I walk to the white couch and sit down. I turn on the TV and go to Cartoon Network, where The Amazing World of Gumball is showing. I start laughing and bounce on the couch, grinning...but really I'm just thinking that, I wanna just crawl into a ball and cry...that's weak, as my dad told me.

Then Jason sits beside me. "Really?" I smile, still hiding the feeling of just wanting to burst into tears "I love this show! It's so cute!" He rolls his eyes, "You're such a kid." "Ya don't say..." I have missed out on a lot of my childhood; I would like to make up even just a little bit for it. A silence, maybe he's broke through that happy barrier already...then he puts on a serious face. "Hey Autumn?" "Yeah?" I look up at him. "Do you think I'm...insane?" I relax for a moment, knowing that my brother hasn't broken through my first barrier. I think for a moment, to come up with an answer. "Of course you are…you are completely bonkers!" He and I both look down at the floor facing the truth, then I look back up at my brother, and throw in an actual genuine smile "but let me tell you a secret, all the best people are." I whisper.

****Break****

**Chris's POV**

Ugh...too bright...couldn't you just let me sleep a little longer... I slowly open my eyes, but I shield them immediately once the sun's rays hit my eyes through the window. I am NOT a morning person... I force myself to open them again as I try to reach for my phone. Ouch. It hurts to twist my body because of all the injuries that Phoenix girl inflicted on me and my family. I'm able to grab my phone from my bedside table. 7:23. Only two hours...really sun? You couldn't let me catch up on my sleep...ugh...this is why I prefer the night. The darkness overwhelming me, the cool wind in my face, the few stars scattered across the night sky, and the large moon casting some light on the streets and rooftops of Gotham. The good feeling of the thought is suddenly replaced by the thought of last night's events. Red Hood. The bloody battle. The pain of being defeated. The anger I felt when I saw my brothers and my father lying on the ground, beaten, bruised. The anger in Phoenix's voice. Her movements, her words...the fire surrounding her...what was that anyway? Everything feels like a blur, and yet, I remember everything clearly. Who is she? She definitely was trained well. Damn. My head hurts.

As I slowly get out of bed, trying my best to ignore the pain, Phoenix's hard, cold voice lingers in my head. I'm sorry I didn't say goodbye to your family Carter. Just tell them I said bye okay? She knew who I was. Maybe Jason told her... ugh... She just pisses me off so much. I approach the mirror in my room and stare at my reflection. God I look horrible. I'm covered in bruises, bandages, and cuts, luckily nothing too deep. Dad, however, got beaten pretty badly. I just hope that this doesn't get to that stubborn head of his...

I open and close the door to my room as quietly as possible so that I don't wake anyone up, if anyone is even asleep. I'm limply walking through the hallway, about to attempt to go down the stairs when I pass Dick's slightly open door.

"Sis?" Dick's voice is heard.

I peer through his open door and find my brother lying down on his bed on top of his disheveled sheets. His bare chest is wrapped in bandages, and his face, arms, and legs is covered in bruises and cuts, and one very deep cut on his left cheek has been stitched up. And I thought I looked horrible... The sight of him like this makes me so angry. Someone hurt my big brother...my only living relative. My only big brother (well there's Tim but he's not exactly "big" and I treat him more like he's my age and not one whole year older than me; I mean I'm almost as tall as him...when will that boy hit puberty?). I hate seeing people in pain. I just had to get used to it when I became Nightingale. However, once in a while a certain person in pain just tips me off...like my entire family...my only family... I want Phoenix to pay what she did to my brother, my father, and my two other brothers. Why did Red Hood even take her in? She's a monster...well I guess they both are... Damn I hate them so much right now... My thoughts are interrupted when Dick lifts his head slightly and groans softly. He slowly raises his arm and tries to tame his messed up hair. Then he gestures to me.

"Come here."

I open his door and limp inside. I close the door behind me and drag myself to his bedside. Once I'm right next to him, the burn on his neck is clearly visible. Dick tries his best to scootch over and I sit down on his bed.

"You alright?" He asks me.

"I guess. I should be asking you the same thing."

"It's nothing really."

"Yea," I say sarcastically while rolling my eyes, "your broken ribs, severe cuts and bruises on your legs and face, and that burn on your neck that you almost died from is 'nothing.'" He always cares more about others than himself. I always appreciate it, but I wouldn't mind if he decides to worry more about himself once in a while.

"She said that she had learned how to "control" the burns...weird right?"

I have the strong urge to give him a sarcastic reply. Dick, you make it so easy! I decide that once is enough in this situation.

"Yea, I mean, you saw the fire surrounding her, right? I wasn't going crazy or anything."

"It was there. And besides, you can't go crazy when you already are crazy."

I smile at him. At least he could bring humor into most situations. Suddenly a thought comes into my head.

"I could've stopped her..."

"What're you talking about? You went head-on against Phoenix, and you got beaten badly. Just not as badly as Damian and Tim."

"No, I know that, but I mean when the three of you were unconscious and Bruce was lying on the ground in pain, I watched them leave, I watched them scoff at us. All I did was throw a batarang..."

"You did the best you could. You were smart. If you went after them and left the four of us, you probably would've died! We wouldn't be able to forgive ourselves if you died, especially Bruce."

"I know...but I just feel like I could've done something more..."

Suddenly, Dick pulls me into an embrace as best as he can and whispers in my ear,

"All that matters is that we're all home safely...okay little sis? I mean c'mon, you were able to haul three heavy boys and Batman (since he was having trouble moving) all by yourself into the Batmobile and got us all home. We wouldn't be here if it weren't for you. Now don't beat yourself up okay?"

"Okay...thanks Dick. I love you."

"I love you too." He whispers back after kissing my head. "Is anyone else awake?"

"Not that I know of."

At that moment, Bruce walks into the room, well, more like drags himself in. He's having some trouble supporting his weight...he's leaning on the doorpost while trying to get his legs to straighten. He looks at the two of us, and he tries to smile when he sees the horrified expressions on our faces. I slowly get off the bed to go and help him, but when I reach him, he just puts a hand on my shoulder and penetrates my eyes with his blue ones. Dad has a cut on the right side of his lower lip, and there are traces of dried blood on his forehead and nose. There is a cut on his left cheek and plenty of bruises scattered around his face. Poor daddy...

"Bruce you should get back to your room. You look horrible." Dick, now seated up on his bed, says.

"I'm fine. I still need to try and find out all I can about Phoenix."

"I can do that for you. You really need to lie down." I furrow my eyebrows to express how serious I am, but Bruce is too stubborn to listen to us.

"You can help if you like, but I'm gonna go down to the cave. Don't try to stop me." His voice is a little more rash than usual, kinda rough. I really want to stop him, but it's no use trying. Instead, I let him use me as a support as we slowly descend the stairs. We are met by Alfred at the bottom, but Bruce just continues toward his study. I look back at Alfred apologetically, and a look of understanding dawns on him.

"We need to find out who this girl is." Bruce says, a hint of anger in his voice.

****Break****

"So you said that she can melt or burn anything she touches." Bruce asks me again.

"Yea. She burned Dick's neck and she melted the batarang I threw at her." I answer him...again. He's asked me this question a million times, as if he's expecting a different answer, but I've only got one answer for him. Bruce is searching through his files looking for any meta with Phoenix's ability, but there's been none so far.

"Maybe you should ask Damian if he knows something. I heard parts of their little conversation while I was trying to wake up Tim."

"No need."

"Why?"

"Because I know what I'm doing. I can handle this. You should go eat breakfast."

"That's a good excuse..." I mutter under my breath as I roll my eyes. He really should expand his search, but as always, there's no use trying to change his mind. "Fine. You do...whatever...I'm gonna go talk to Damian." I walk up the steps and back into the study. Why couldn't we just have an elevator? So. Many. Damn. Steps. Luckily, I'm able to survive the trip and I cautiously knock on Damian's door.

"Who's there?" He still sounds the same. Still has that hint of arrogance in his voice.

"Chris."

"You may enter."

Damian didn't suffer as badly as Dick and Tim (he got hit plenty of times, and even though he's almost as skinny as me, he's got slightly weaker bones), but Damian was shocked by last night's events. He barely talked to us last night, so I knew that I'd have to wait until today to get something outta him. Damian is just lying down on his bed, flipping through TV channels when I approach him. He doesn't look to bad, just a few bruises here and there, but there's some dried blood on his forehead, and he's having some trouble moving his left arm.

"Dammit there's nothing interesting on. What do you want?" He says while turning off the TV and throwing the remote to the floor.

"I wanted to ask you about last night."

"Technically it was this morning but you have my permission to ask me."

He irks me so much, always treating everyone like peasants (except Dad) and being so obnoxious. Usually I hate people like that, but I've learned to live with it, especially since we are the king and queen of mischief (in this house...other places, I'm not so sure about).

"First, she knew who we were... She called you Damian in the middle of your battle, I heard her whisper "Grayson" to Dick, and she called me Christine... Do you think Jason sold us out?"

"It's possible, them being partners and all, but when I had that little "chat" with Phoenix, she said that she found out on her own when she was around...what was it?... I believe she said 8."

"What? But I was still in the orphanage when was 8, and she looks like she's my age!"

"Well if she found out Bruce's, Dick's, and Tim's identities, then she would've figured out ours..."

"Well yea but...how did she find out then?"

"I don't know..."

"I'll ponder on that later...next question. What did Phoenix tell you last night? All I heard was that she mentioned Talia."

He sighs, hesitating at first, then he answers, "She asked me how Talia was. She said that she knew that Talia is my mother. I asked her how she knew her and how she knew that she is my mother, but she only answered by saying that she met her and that I told her myself that Talia is my mother."

"So you don't remember even hinting that she is your mother?"

"Other than the League of Assassins, you people are the only ones who know!"

"Maybe...maybe it wasn't recently." There's no way that Damian would've told a random girl about his mother at this age, but that sounds like something a young kid would do. Well, Damian never really had a normal childhood, but most children's brains work similarly. "Do you remember any girls when you were younger and still living with your mother and grandfather?"

"No...wait..." He stares at the ground, closes his eyes, and just sits still for a moment. The silence makes me feel uncomfortable, so I am relieved when Damian finally opens his eyes. They are wide with...fear? Realization? What? He mutters, "Holy shit..." I furrow my eyebrows at him, but then he lifts his head and looks at me.

"When I was a young boy, there was this girl...I don't remember her face very clearly though but I could tell that she was probably around 8 years old, the same age as me but slightly younger. Mother was teaching her when I came to tell her that her presence was requested for something... I don't remember. Anyway she left me alone with the girl, and we had a short chat. I asked her-"

"Blah blah blah just tell me what her name is." I'm getting excited.

"Let me finish. You should not interrupt me when I am speaking." He's obviously annoyed with me, but it doesn't matter.

"Well I don't care at this point! What the hell is her name?!" Whoops, kinda got carried away. Focus...gotta keep my "good-girl" attitude...

"Alright fine. Calm down." He seems shocked at my sudden outburst, but he's not too surprised. I did let him know I understood all this shit and that I've "grown up." I'd better not lose it though in front of Bruce, Dick, or Alfred (he would definitely stick a bar of soap in my mouth). "She didn't tell me her name, and neither did Mother, but I know who her parents are."

"TELL ME LITTLE BROTHER TELL ME!" I accidentally yell at him. Calm down...you're getting excited.

"Her father is some guy named Ryan Cross and-"

"Have no idea who he is." I interrupt.

"Goddamit Carter!" He yells at me and I just sit there. He waits for a while until he's sure I won't talk again then he continues.

"Her mother is Sheila Haywood." OH. MY. GOD.

****Break****

**Damian's POV**

"Wait! No! Carter I demand that you stop!" Carter is making her way down the steps. She is going to tell Father that Phoenix (or at least who we think is Phoenix) is actually Jason's biological sister. Obviously that's the right thing to do, but I've got a better idea.

I finally catch up to my sister and block her path to the study.

"What are you doing? Get out of my way! We have to tell Bruce!" She has a puzzled expression.

"You can't order me around! And I don't want to tell him...not yet..."

"Why not? We may have a lead! We have to tell him."

"It's not a promising lead...we need to investigate more...I think we should talk to my mother. She may know something."

"It's more than just lack of evidence isn't it?" Evidence? I heard she watches a lot of crime dramas...that's probably explains it. The way she's looking at me...I don't want to tell her, but I feel like...

"I want to please my Father."

"Well everyone wants to please their fathers, especially since Bruce isn't the easiest to please."

"But I want to prove myself worthy to him. I want to prove that I am worthy of being his son and that I deserve to be Robin."

Carter is looking at me strangely... I don't like this...

"Stop looking at me like that!" I order, but she ignores me.

"You don't need to prove yourself "worthy." You've already earned the mantle of Robin. If you didn't deserve it, you wouldn't have it. Besides, Bruce is obviously proud of you. I mean, c'mon, you're his only blood son. Why wouldn't he be proud of you?"

I don't find her words extremely helpful, but I appreciate the fact that she's at least trying.

"Thanks..."

"Welcome. Alright, I'll do this your way for once...you know Dad wouldn't want us doing this."

"Well we're doing it anyway. We'll get more information this way so that when we tell Father we'll have more than just "We know who Phoenix's mother is" to say to him."

"Fine. What's the plan?"

"We'll get out of patrol tonight to go and pay a visit to my mother at the docks."

Carter winces at the mention of the docks. It's then that I realize that neither of us are in good shape...if we were to get ambushed or betrayed or captured, we'd basically be useless. No one else is in the best shape either, so who knows what'll happen to us. It's a risk I'm willing to take. What about Carter?

"You sure you want to do this?" I try not to sound too concerned.

"Definitely." She replies, giving me a grim smile.

**A/N: Last sentence said by Autumn: quoted from Alice in Wonderland. Any comments? Constructive criticism? Violent reactions? Well all this you can tell us in the reviews!**


	11. Hidden

**Chapter 11: Hidden**

**Damian's POV**

I am searching for my mother, side by side with my sister. We're back at the docks where mother's submarine should be. We search the damn place and I can see Carter's eyes full of fury as we pass by the memories of last night. She is quiet right now, alert and seemingly ready for anything, but I know on the inside she is screaming, searching for Phoenix. As we approach the submarine, I can hear the cold and hard chuckle of The Phoenix mocking me in my head, I can feel how cold she is, I remember last night, the tingly feeling of her horrible and dark chuckle. I remember the feeling of rage radiating around her, as if following Phoenix everywhere along with the fire that lights around her, the feeling of her anger...it's so cold that it burns. I felt it, and the way she mocked us...I can see why Carter is angry at Phoenix.

As Carter and I get inside the hatch of Mother's submarine, Phoenix's dark smile appears in front of my eyes, mocking me, and laughing at me...when I fought her last night...she radiated something different, other than rage, she radiated...Death.

Mother comes out of no where in her usual get up: a black suit and guns.

"My son, what are you doing here? Where is your Father?" She asks me.

"Talia." Carter walks up to my Mother, with a serious face, as serious as Batman's.

"Why are you two here?" She asks.

"Mother, we need to ask you very important questions."

"About what?"

"Do you still remember that girl? That you used to teach before, she is about my age."

Mother stays silent.

"We need you to tell us all you know about her." Carter persuades.

"I do not know what you two are talking about. Now leave before Batman comes looking for the two of you."

I shake my head. "Mother, please."

"Why do you need to know about her?"

"Because, Talia, she could be someone we're looking for, someone...evil." I look at Carter. Is Phoenix really that evil?

My mother sighs. "It is impossible."

"And why?" Carter pushes on.

"Because young ones...she is dead." My mother turns around as if she is to hide a sob…

"She died."

"Maybe...maybe she survived?" Carter walks closer to my mother.

"No." My mother shakes her head. "Like I've said before, it is impossible...she could not have lived, even if she did she might have been dead by now."

"Mother, please explain."

She sighs before speaking again. "This...girl, she was good, she could not have turned evil, no...maybe insane but not evil. She died, do you understand my son?"

"How?"

"I am not entirely sure of what happened, but what was left of her was burned metal that came from the sky. She crashed and burned to death in an escape pod. There was no corpse found...she could have turned to ashes before she reached the ground. She was strong, but not even a metahuman could have survived that."

I can see Carter narrow her eyes. "Tell us more about her, her life."

"No. I am bound by a promise."

"Please mother..."

"I cannot, I am sorry...I made a promise to a friend...he is dead now." Probably the girl's father, Ryan...I wonder what happened to him?

"But mother please, we need to know."

"Yes, at least her name." Carter persists.

My mother sighs. "Her name was Autumn Cross. She lived here in Gotham with her father years ago...that is all I can tell you both, now leave me be."

Carter turns around and heads for the exit. I follow her but I stop in my tracks.

"Mother, who was she to you?"

I can sense my mother's small smile. "She was a student."

"Is that all?"

"She was like...a daughter to me." I nod and start walking right behind Carter.

As Carter and I walk towards our bikes I hear her mumble, "We can't be sure that she is dead."

****Break****

**Bruce's POV**

I swear to God I know this girl...well, maybe I don't _know _her, but she's definitely familiar. I just don't know how... We just got back from patrol. Chris and Damian couldn't come because they both had a lot of homework, so I told them they could stay. I haven't gone upstairs to check on them yet, but I know they're there. Besides, if they had gone off somewhere, their motorcycles wouldn't be parked next to Red Robin's and Nightwing's cycles.

I'm looking through every single file I can find and still nothing... it's like this girl doesn't even exist!

My thoughts are interrupted when I'm suddenly pushed aside and I fall off my chair. What the hell? I look up and see Chris sitting where I was seated just a few seconds ago, typing frantically on the BatComputer. Damian is behind her, focusing on what she's doing.

"What happened to asking me to move?" I ask her in my Batman voice.

"When you beat up villains and send them to Arkham do you ask them permission first?"

"They give me permission when they harm the innocent."

"Yea okay, sorry." She's not sorry... She's rarely able to push me over and pin me down during training. I can tell she's pleased with herself.

"What's so urgent?" I say as I pull myself off of the ground. I'm slightly angry with her, but I try to hide it (and that's _really _hard).

"Autumn Cross." She states bluntly as she turns to me.

"What?"

A picture pops up onto the screen and words start appearing next to the photo of a girl with dark black hair, teal-green eyes, and pale skin. She looks angry in the photo.

"Autumn Cross could possibly be The Phoenix: Red Hood's new partner." I stare at her in astonishment as she continues. "Daughter of Ryan Cross and maybe...Sheila Haywood. Ryan was a mercenary paid to kill people like Deathstroke does, except apparently he only killed criminals." She says this just as the computer finishes analyzing the profiles of his victims. "He died at the hands of the Joker. Apparently, he was trying to save a girl, whom we now know is his daughter. He sacrificed himself and died in an explosion meant for Autumn."

The memory comes back to me: the man running to the daughter and untying her as I ran after the Joker and beat him up. I had turned and seen the man lying in the grass in a pool of blood and the girl, released from her bonds, crying over her father's dead body. I hadn't stopped that death...but I could've. I was blinded with my anger to, I didn't stop her father...I could have saved them both. The girl... I had seen her then, but that doesn't seem to be why she's so familiar...

"I know...I was there..."

Silence…we wait for the information to load.

"How did you find this out?"

"I did what you were too stubborn to do. I talked to Damian." She says, narrowing her eyes at me. Now I feel a little stupid. She gestures to her brother as she says this. "He says that when he was still training with The League of Assassins, he met this girl about his age. He said that she didn't say her name but she said that her mom was Sheila Haywood and that her father was Ryan Cross...she could be dead though."

"Damian, you told her all of this?"

Chris answers for him. "Um...yeah that's right, HE told me all of it." She says, not taking her eyes off of the computer. Then all the info pops up in one blink. Chris reads through all of it, then sits back and sighs. "It can't be her."

I look at the files. "There was only one Autumn Cross in Gotham and her dad's name was Ryan Cross, but her mom wasn't Sheila Haywood."

**Autumn Cross**

**Father: Ryan Cross Mother: Teressa Williams**

"It can't be her! Damian!" She turns to him. "Ta-You said that she lived in Gotham…and that her mother was Sheila Haywood! No, this info is all wrong!"

**Status: ****Deceased**

That girl...I tried to save her father, but now, she's dead.

Damian responds to Chris. "Her father is Ryan Cross but her mother should be Sheila Haywood! And she's supposed to be alive! Ta-I guess I was right...she did die..."

I sigh, and stare at the screen.

"Which brings us back to square one...who is Phoenix?!" Chris says sounding angry and frustrated at the same time.

****Break****

**Autumn's POV**

"Computers are cool," I chuckle as I click on one more thing.

I figured out something else about my power: I can control the burn itself...just by looking at it. It depends if I'm going to burn an entire person or just a piece of paper; if I burn one entire person with my mind, then I've got a big problem. I would use way too much power... My mind would probably shut down...and I could die, although it's still a hypothesis. I haven't actually tested it myself yet, but I saw readings and all.

"Hey kid, what are you doing?" Jason says right beside me, and I quickly exit the video.

"Oh just searching and fixing stuff..."

"What stuff?"

"Stuff about me."

He stands right beside my seat. "Huh?" He gives me a puzzled look.

"Not about Phoenix, files about Autumn."

"Why?"

"Let me explain... When I joined the war and became a captain of a team, I had to erase all my files, as in everything...I'm not sure for what reason though, but I had to make a new identity. I used the same name, the same father, but a different mother, and I added my little brother to my files, and some other stuff...but now… My...allies... think that I'm dead now, so they added to my files **DECEASED**...so I'm dead, apparently."

I can feel Jason tense. "Why do they think that you're dead?"

I tense. "Um...why are you here again?" I say, desperate to change the subject, and he lets me.

"Oh, I was bored."

"Go watch TV!"

"Nothing's on."

"Train or something!"

"I don't feel like it." God he sounds like a kid.

"Go jump off a cliff!"

He rolls his eyes at me, then he turns towards the door. "Maybe I will!"

"Good!"

He shuts the door. Brothers are annoying!

I turn back to my laptop and click the window for the video and press play.

"Come on old man! That all ya got?" Before Batman figured out I hacked into his system, I downloaded some videos of Robin's training simulations...specifically Jason's training simulations when he was still Robin.

"Stay alert Jason, you can get killed on the field with all that arrogance." Batman's voice was heard echoing the entire simulation. Robin's grin only grew bigger as he fought more men in the simulation. I'm watching Jason's training simulations secretly, because...I wanna study his moves. Okay, no I'm lying to myself...it's because he had skills even as Robin. I look up to him, I wanna be Jason. I wanna be strong, as strong as he is...strength isn't just physical, or being able to take down bad guys easily...it's the will to carry on. My brother has that will, I wanna be as strong as he is. He was unloved, he was a street kid, and he felt the need to make Batman proud but couldn't. My brother died trying to save his own mother who betrayed him. He came back and crawled out of his own grave and yet...my big brother's still standing and smiling. I know that Batman says that he's broken and evil...but he's not. If he was then he wouldn't be my big brother, and I wouldn't want to look up to him and want to be as strong as he is one day.

Jason has that annoying tough guy attitude...he would never admit that he cries at night because of his nightmares. He would never mutter the words "I miss you" to his family, he would never cry out for his father even if he really wants too...but even he forgets that he's human too...under all of that...anger, he still has a soft spot. After all he's been through, he's still standing, even when he was Robin. I can tell just by watching old videos of his training or videos with him in the security tapes of the Cave.

The video ends and it moves on to the next one...it was Jason's first time to put on the cape. He seemed so happy and enthusiastic, jumping around and trying to scare Bruce. "Nah, I got yah!"

"How does it feel?" He kicked and jumped and flipped, he even let out a laugh.

"It feels awesome! Check me out! I'm Robin, the Boy Wonder! Are you kidding me? This rocks! Come on old man, we've got bad guys who need chasin'!" He flipped and landed on top of the BatMobile. "This is the best day of my life!" I quickly exit the video…

Must've been hard as well for Mr. Wayne, to bury his own son and mourn, and five years later his son comes back but he's different…that's too bad for Mr. Wayne...I guess I can say that I have a little pity even for the man that let my father die.

Actually, my father died because of me. I could have saved my dad, somehow...I'm not angry anymore at Batman for not saving my dad. I know Batman tried, but….my father wouldn't have died if he hadn't just killed that mad man…this wouldn't have happened to me if Batman didn't just end The Joker...Jason wouldn't be suffering from nightmares if Batman did something! I sigh, I can't let out my anger...that wouldn't be good if I did.

One day...I'll get my revenge on The Joker. I'll kill him, and he will suffer...his smile will be wiped off and as he dies...I will be the one laughing.

I know the words _I love you_, I know that somewhere out there, those words exist, just not in my world. Bruce, Richard, Jason, Timothy, Christine, even Damian, got those words...I know they did. They all have a family that can tell them those three simple words...I know that they got those words at some point in their lives, but I didn't...my father didn't get the chance to tell me those words, I never met my birth mother, my brother...he was a forgetful one...and my mom, she might have actually cared, but she told me the opposite, she didn't tell me that she loved me, instead...she told me the truth. _You are not my daughter._

Then my laptop beeps.

****Break****

"Crap." I say "Faster!"

"What do you think I'm doing?"

I sit in the passenger seat as we head out of the parking lot. He quickly takes a turn.

"We need an exit." I say

"Freeway." he says and we suddenly move forward as a car bumps us from behind. "S***!" he yells as he drives. I see the man bring out a large gun in the other car behind us and shoots.

"Look out!" We both duck to avoid the bullets. The glass shatters all around us, and I put my hands over my head. Hood makes a sharp turn avoiding the cars we're about to bump into. I can see in the side mirror that they're still behind us.

I look to the right. "Right! Now!" I say and he turns. We crash through a screen door and pass under a highway.

"We'll lose them at the freeway..." I say.

"Are you crazy?"

"Hell yeah I'm crazy!" I take a quick glance at my holographic wrist computer. "10 units behind us."

He crashes through another screen door and we head towards the freeway. I load my gun and stick my head and arm out the window. I shoot the units after us and the black van with the terrorist guy right after us.

"This is all your fault! What did you even do to piss these guys off?!"

"I killed three of their captains." Hood glances at me. "Hey, they're terrorists! Plus, they were pissing me off!"

I'm able to take down one unit with my gun, but they're still on our tail. Red Hood avoids the trucks, and I glance at the black van with the man still shooting at us and I duck. We stay beside a big truck to try and hide from them. I look at our...hostage, a congressman who stole money from a lot of people. The car beside us flips over and we move forward.

The man holding the large gun in the van behind us suddenly turns intangible, like a ghost, and passes through our car. He sits in the back seat.

"A meta?! Metas are everywhere now aren't they?!" Hood exclaims.

The meta turns tangible again. He pulls out a knife and tries to cut my neck but I swipe my hand and block. I try to shoot him but he hits my hand and I drop the gun. He tries to cut my eye out but I move and dodge. I grab his hand and stop him from cutting me. He tries to punch me with his other hand but I block, and I grab his collar and head butt him. I hit the arm holding the knife with my free hand and I elbow his neck, still holding onto the knife. I hold his hand down with one hand and I punch him with my other fist. He gets the hand holding the knife free and he swipes at me but I duck and he nearly cuts my hair. He holds me in a choke hold with the knife touching my neck, but I grab my gun and quickly shoot his head before he gets a chance to move. I grab his neck and throw him forward and out the windshield. Red Hood purposely runs over the body. I wipe the blood out of my face and I turn to look at the police car right beside us.

A cop shoots at us.

"Get down!" Hood and I both duck. I sit up and shoot the tires of the car. The police car flips over as it tries to stop and flames engulf it. I face forward.

"Whoops..." I killed two men from the GCPD. I glance at Red Hood who's only looking at the road.

Suddenly, I hear footsteps on the roof of our car, a knife goes through the roof and right beside me before I dodge. I take my gun and shoot up at the roof. Suddenly the man is standing right on the head of the car.

"Get off the damn car!" Red Hood tries to move the car but the guy doesn't fall off! He rips off our roof with his hand and I shoot at him with my gun, but he dodges. Dammit! I take my knife and stab the man on the chest, his blood dripping down my face. Jason suddenly steps on the breaks and the dead man falls off the car and Jason steps on the gas again.

A police car to our right shoots at us and hits the tires. The tires burn and Red Hood tries to control the car. The police car bumps into us and Red Hood moves our car towards the their car. The unit hits the wall but it pushes towards us. We lose the unit in a turn and it crashes into a wall.

There are more units behind us, but now the black van is right in front of us, blocking our way.

"Damn. We have to stop." I point out the obvious, but no, instead Hood goes faster.

"No, we're going to have to jump."

I nod, and get myself ready to jump out of the car. Who doesn't love the Law of Inertia?

"Now!" We both jump out at the same time. I roll on the road as the car crashes into the van and it explodes. I cover my head as the explosion takes place. I get up and walk to the other side of the road where Hood is standing.

"I'll need your report later." I nod as I look around. There are a lot of cars surrounding us and people running away and getting out of their cars. I can hear some of them screaming and yelling "Not them!" or "The Red Hood!" and just frightened screams.

"You coming or what?"

I look in Jason's direction. He's already sitting in the driver's seat of a random car. I run towards the passenger seat, and that's when the police show up, surrounding the "crime scene."

I smirk. "Cops are waaaay too slow," and Hood drives, the undetected way.


	12. Bad Blood

**Chapter 12: Bad Blood**

**Dick's POV**

"Hey Dick, what's on?" Tim limps towards the couch. His injuries have healed a bit, so now he can move around more.

"Nothing much." I say, casually holding the TV remote. He takes a seat right beside me. I flip through the channels searching for something to watch.

"Wait wait, go back." Tim and I turn our heads to see Chris standing over the couch. I turn my head back and go backwards.

"There." I stop flipping through channels. Apparently she wants to watch the news.

"The news? Why?" I never really liked watching the news.

"One week ago, The Red Hood and his ally," the reporter says as a picture of Phoenix comes up, "known as The Phoenix, a young girl who has chosen to cause carnage along side The Red Hood, has gone on a high speed chase along the freeway with a black van full of terrorists and nine Gotham City Police Department units." A video of a silver car being chased by a black van and police cars pops up.

"Three people were found dead, and four people, who were caught in the crossfire of this chase, were injured." A video of the silver car crashing into the black van comes up. "Around six bodies were found after the explosion, not including The Red Hood and The Phoenix. The GCPD says that they will do anything in their power to catch these two criminals. Meanwhile, The Batman-" The reporter is cut off when Chris puts it on mute. How did she even get the remote?

Tim and I both look back up at Chris.

"Hey I was watching that!" Tim complains.

Chris throws the remote on my lap and starts walking towards the door.

"Where are you going?" I ask out of curiosity.

"I'm going to figure out who this girl is...you two gonna sit around and watch TV or are you gonna help me and dad?" she asks us.

Tim and I glance at each other for a moment, then we both jump off the couch and the three of us walk towards dad's study.

****Break****

"Damn." I hear Chris whisper. Is she swearing now? Holy shit! I may have mistaken...she must've said something else... My little sister doesn't swear! She doesn't even know that many curse words... Yea...she didn't swear...right? Even if she did, at least she's not saying shit or f***. "Have you guys found anything?" She raises her voice.

"Nothing of importance." Tim replies.

"Me neither. Don't worry we'll figure out who she is soon enough." I say, hoping to encourage her, but when she looks at me, I know I did the exact opposite. Her blue eyes, usually filled with joy and happiness is now full of anger and frustration.

"Soon enough..." she repeats quietly to herself, then she raises her head again and comes closer to me. "We need to know who she is _now._ The sooner we find out, the less innocent lives taken. Got it? Phoenix must be stopped. Red Hood too. They've already done enough damage." Her cold voice makes me feel uneasy. She's never been this...full of hatred...before. I know that she's changed ever since she was adopted by Bruce, but Phoenix has _really _changed her... I'm worried for my little sister. She's a lot like Bruce, and I'm afraid that her anger will cloud her judgement and she might end up actually _killing _this girl, maybe even more people. I don't want her to end up like Jason...

"I know Chris..." I reply cautiously. I don't want to accidentally say something that will trigger her again. I don't completely understand why she sees Phoenix as _evil_, but I know it has something to do with the day we met her. She probably was upset to see her entire family, her _only _family, all seriously injured and looking as if they would die any second. I know what it feels like to see your family die...

Chris straightens up and says, "Looks like we'll have to go looking for her again..."

"Alright I'll ask Bruce..." Tim says before he heads up the stairs to talk to Bruce.

Chris is about to follow him when I put my hand on her shoulder to stop her.

"We'll find her, ok?"

"Yea sure," she says while rolling her eyes. Why is she rolling her eyes? I was only trying to be encouraging...again. Now that I think about it I should probably stop. She continues, "Stop being so happy-go-lucky and optimistic all the time will ya?" My sister walks up the stairs as I stand there in shock. This is the side of my sister that I have never seen... She's changed so much... I'd better not piss her off anymore...

**Chris's POV**

Damn. Why did Dad have to be such a joykill and say that Tim and I couldn't go and track down Phoenix? Now I'm bored. I'm done with all my homework. I don't have school tomorrow because of some stupid holiday that I have never heard of. I'm not in the mood to talk to Dick...why is that his name anyway? Haha...dick... Tim is so smart it's annoying. Bruce is in his study...doing God knows what. I'm not in the mood to prank anyone with Damian, and I'm pretty sure everyone would be more pissed than usual if they found their room covered in bubble wrap or something like that, so I'm just hanging out in the cave, punching a few dummies, playing an old game on the BatComputer that I recently discovered was on there...I wonder how that got there... I'm staring up at the giant t-rex replica, thinking that now would be the perfect time to climb it (ever since I laid eyes on it I just knew that I had to climb it, but no one would ever let me), when I hear a beep from the computer. I rush over there (damn...there goes my chance to climb the t-rex) and look up at the screen. A map of the east side of Gotham pops up. Apparently there's a drug ring going on in an abandoned warehouse in the center of the map. Red Hood's territory. He'll probably be there, and so will Phoenix, since according to the information this isn't his drug ring...probably Black Mask's. Man that guy is hella ugly. I stare at the map and remember the location of the drug ring. I don't exactly trust my near-photographic memory, so I take a picture with my personalized BatPhone and test to see if my phone will successfully project a holographic image of the map plus my location on it. It works. I know I'm supposed to never go out alone, and I'm supposed to notify Bruce or Dick about this, but screw them. I can take care of myself. I don't need some sort of a babysitter while I go and beat the crap out of two more criminals. Who am I kidding...I know that I'll probably die. Oh well...other than this whole "Phoenix" mystery, nothing really interesting has been happening lately. Besides, I might find something out about her, maybe even unmask her...now I'm just getting my hopes up...

"Suit up." I say to myself while giggling. Haha...HIMYM. Why am I so giggly all of a sudden? Oh yea, which reminds me, I need to ask Dick about his name. Haha...dick... Oh God what is going on? I'm going happy-go lucky! Man, I really am Dick's sister... Haha dick... SHUT UP!

Pushing that weirdness out of my head, I go put on my Nightingale outfit and gather all of my gadgets. I head over to my motorcycle (I don't have a name for it since "Night Cycle" is already taken...thanks Dick!) and I think about whether or not I should leave a note. Nah... they'll know where I am because.

1) They have a tracking device on me,

2) I left the page with the map and the drug ring information on the BatComputer, and

3) My dad is Batman. He always has a way of finding his "lost birdies."

I'm basically leading them to me. They're gonna come down here in a few minutes to get ready for patrol, they'll notice I'm not there, freak out for a bit, then realize where I am. I'm probably gonna get in trouble but other than that, I'm sure I'll be fine...

I hop onto the motorcycle I designed myself. Obviously, it's mostly black, but there are thick streaks of blue and purple that intertwine on the sides of my cycle. At the end of the motorcycle, the streaks combine to make my emblem. When I saw my motorcycle at first, it felt kinda generic, so I put a panda sticker on the side of the motorcycle near the handles (as you have probably guessed, I like pandas. Pandas are awesome). I revv up the engine and put on my blue and purple helmet. I exit the Batcave with the wind in my face, making my hair fly in the wind. I feel totally badass, well I am... and this girl is about to mess with these bitches.

****Break****

The abandoned warehouse is seriously creepy. Boarded windows, walls falling apart, a door that is slightly ajar that leads to what seems like complete darkness...this is just like a scene from a horror movie, except I'm not stupid like all of those girly-girls with their sleepovers and pillow fights and all that stuff. Obviously most of them are blondes. I look up at the towering building and notice that among the dark boarded up windows, there is one window that looks like it has light coming out of it. Should I sneak in, or should I just burst in through the window. So...a surprise attack like a ninja (well I am a ninja...) or an awesome and badass entrance...hm... The choice is made for me when I hear yelling and gunshots in the upper room. Badass entrance it is. I grab my grapple gun and shoot it up into the air. I cling onto the roof and I allow it to pull me up. Yay I'm flying! What the hell is going on in my head? I really am going insane... I just hope the edge of the roof doesn't crumble or I'll end up falling to my death. Falling like my parents did, the parents I never knew but my brother had grown up with for eight years until Zucco killed them... I'm just happy I have a brother...

Third floor. Fourth floor. Here we go! Fifth floor. (Dammit I'm being cheery again! Really bad timing...) I swing myself backwards and when I swing forwards, my feet collide with the wood and I burst into the room. I'm surprised I don't hear screams, but then I immediately realize why. My feet land in a puddle of blood. The puddle is coming from a guy with his face burned off. I look around me and 6 men are dead on the floor with burned-off faces. Phoenix... A few feet away from me stands Phoenix burning some guy's face off with her hands. That makes seven. He's already dead, so there's no use trying to save him. The man drops to the ground and Phoenix steps over his limp body, smirking at him, then smirking at me. Her eyes are masked but why do I feel that under the mask are insane wide eyes?

"Hello Carter. Whoops, no names in the field, I almost forgot." She chuckles as she kicks away the dead body.

"Phoenix." I growl. My voice is harsher and colder than I expect it to be.

She smiles. "Yes? Why are you looking for me?" She says as if it's merely a game. She's grinning, but I can still feel that anger radiating around her.

"Because I want to know who you are. You know who I am. Speaking of which...how do you know me?"

She shrugs. "Oh don't worry, Hood would never sell you out...any of you. I simply...figured it out on my own." She scoffs

I'd better not waste my time. Who knows when Batman will get here. "Whatever. You still haven't answered my question..." I growl, "Who. The. HELL. Are. You?"

"I told your brother, I'm nobody… SO F*** OFF," she snarls unhumanly.

"Sorry to disappoint, but I'm not leaving until I get some answers." I narrow my eyes at her.

Fire lights the strands of her dark hair. "You have two options, one, you go home to your daddy without satisfaction, but you can keep your life. Or two, you get your answers as I burn you to death. You're choice."

"How about three, I beat the hell out of you and I get what I came for."

She chuckles. "Good option...but the thing is, that it 'aint possible." She gets into her fighting stance. Why is she suddenly talking like a...a street kid? Slip of the tongue?

"And why is that? Is your big brother keeping you from revealing some secrets?" I get into my fighting stance as well.

I see her narrow her eyes at me. "No, no, he never decides for me. Unless, I agree with the decision he has made for me."

"So where _is _your brother? He is your brother, right?"

"I told _your _brother...the dickhead. Jason's...a friend, he's somethin' like a brother." She smiles a bit as she glares at me. "He's at home."

"Sure..." I say while rolling my eyes underneath my mask. He could be hiding in the shadows or something... "And nobody calls my brother a dickhead but me, okay?" I snarl.

She runs towards me while smiling. I jump up, but she jumps up and kicks my face. Great, she's made the first move. We land on the wood; I punch, she blocks, she aims to kick my head but I duck. Phoenix bows and somehow...she kicks my head. Then she stands up and back flips and kicks my face at the same time. I hold my jaw and grunt as she stands right across from me, mocking me. I run towards her, and I land a kick on her jaw. She punches my stomach and suddenly takes hold of my hands and makes me turn around. She elbows my back and lets go as I fall on the wood.

She smiles as I spit out some blood. Shit, she's holding back. I stand up and she kicks my chest, but I recover and force myself to stand up. She punches but I block and crouch down. I slide my foot on the floor to make her fall, but she simply back flips, and lands on her feet. GAAH, here we go again.

I punch but she sidesteps, and I kick her stomach and she flies back towards the wall. I smile, maybe the tables have turned. She gets up and runs towards me with her hand balled up into a fist, but what's really disturbing...is that sinister smile plastered across her face.

She punches, I side step, she overhead kicks and I duck. I punch, but she blocks. I grab her into a choke hold, she frowns and narrows her eyes. Why do I get the feeling she's frowning not because I have her? She grabs my arm and flips me over, and I crash into the wall and into the next room. Dammit! She was calculating! I get up as she walks through the human-sized hole in the wall.

Damn it's dark, and I mean creepy dark. I punch her as I clench my teeth but she dodges and sidesteps. I kick and punch and I flip over before she can land another heavy punch. I punch her stomach and kick her head and I swiftly back away.

"Interesting," she states and walks towards me.

She lands a punch on my chest and stomach. Then she elbows my neck and swipes my legs off the ground when she kicks my knees. I sit up holding my head.

"I asked you if maybe we couldn't have another bloody fight." She says.

"You turned it bloody when you hurt my family. " I stand up, jump, and kick her forehead. She stumbles backwards and leans on the wall. I run towards her and punch her stomach and chest as fast as I can. I have her now.

Then she grabs my hand and the white lenses of her mask stare into mine. Her face has suddenly gotten darker with that sinister smile of hers. My eyes widen and she twists my body and holds my hand behind my back. She kicks my back and lets go. I crash into the wooden wall.

She suddenly runs towards me, clenching her teeth while narrowing her eyes as bright flames surround her. I pissed her off. She punches my face and my jaw. She kicks my stomach as I try to block. I can feel the horrible burns on my body... I punch her face, but she swipes my hand away, and punches my face instead.

I can see that she's trying to stop a scream of rage. She kicks the side of my neck and hits my side. She strikes my hip and grabs my hair and knees me in the gut before pulling me into a head butt and aggressively pushes me away.

My back hits the wall and I fall on my hands and knees. I stand up and lean on the wall. I can feel wetness on my hair and dripping down my forehead. I look at her through the strands of black hair in my face and there's blood dripping down her nose and mouth. I grunt as I force myself to get into a fighting stance. She narrows her eyes at me. Then she pulls out a gun from its holster. I drop my fighting stance and lean on the wall.

"You...you think you can just..._waltz_ into this city, hurt innocent people...hurt the people I _love_...and get away with it?" My voice is rough. I'm having a little bit of trouble breathing.

She scoffs. "Bitch please." I sense her roll her eyes as she swings the gun. "I don't hurt innocent people...I protect them...I destroy the ones that hurt the innocent!" She scowls and lowers her head and suddenly her face gets darker somehow...like a ghost living in light.

"Really? Because to me it seems like you and your...partner...just kill anyone who gets in your way, even if they're just collateral damage."

"Exactly!" She yells. "We destroy anyone that gets in our way! You know...at first I didn't understand it...of course I was still so damn naive then. But then I realized...everyone that gets in my way is _not_ innocent, because it's what I do...I protect the innocent, and anyone that tries to stop me is simply trying to hurt the innocent themselves." She growls

"So, I'm in your way. My entire family is in your way. And apparently we, the protectors of Gotham, are trying to hurt the innocent because we are trying to stop you and Red Hood, whom the people see as criminals, from doing your "job?"

She swings the gun, but it's still pointed at my head. "Indirectly, you are hurting the innocent." I narrow my eyes. What the hell is she talking about? "The 'Protectors of Gotham' simply throw these...criminals...in Arkham, when you all know damn well that Arkham has revolving doors. You say you stop crime, but you are simply delaying it. But after some time, these criminals will break out and kill more innocent people. If you don't put these scumbags away for good and let them kill even more people...then you yourselves are hurting the innocent. You all have the power to put them away forever, but you don't use it. None of you understand, Hood told Batman this before, I quote, '_You can't stop crime!' _So you _are_ hurting the people of Gotham and you _are_ in my way. All of you s***heads. So I have a question for you, Carter. Are you against the criminals of Gotham? Or are you with them?" She snarls with wide insane eyes under her mask.

I stay silent and just glare at her. I decide not to answer her question, but I carry on the conversation. "You don't get to ask the questions." I pause, take a deep breath, and continue. "Well...since we are in your way, are you gonna start with killing me first and sending a message to my family?" I growl at her.

Her eyes widen even more, like an insane person "Death...is something quick, it would be so simple to just pull the trigger and kill you right now."

"Then what's stopping you?"

Her eyes are no longer so wide. "Who…" My eyes widen. "Jason's request…" She looks down and lowers the gun a bit.

"But I thought he never cared?"

Her head shoots up at me, with wider eyes than last time. I can see rage written all over her face. "What? You really think he's that evil? That he's as insane as I am? Don't you ever wonder if he asks the questions: "How are they?" or "Are they still alive?" Do you really think that he doesn't care about any of you? What kind of a family…" she trails away and looks down. Then back at me. "Of course he cares...that house that you live in right now...that locked door down the hallway... That was his, and your home now, was his home...you don't know how much he misses it. I know he misses it; I know that he misses his family." Her eyes fill with more rage. (I didn't even think that's possible!) "But...DO ANY OF YOU MISS HIM?" Her face hardens.

Maybe Jason really is her brother, since she's protecting him...but I don't even have any proof, and what if she's just some kid who learned to care for Jason after some time. Well, she is his partner in crime.

As her rage takes over her, mine washes away.

"Look...I can't really speak for my family on this one, but I've never really known Jason. I do know, however, that he's the brother that I wish I knew. I wish he would come back to his family, so that our family would be whole. Ever since the day I heard about him, I felt sad for him. I knew that he probably missed his home, and I've always wanted to meet him...he's my brother too, you know. And I bet Bruce would take him back in if he just admitted that he wanted to come home..." She tenses.

"You can wish...you can feel sad...you can wonder...you can want..." she whispers, "but...life isn't fair...if it was, then it wouldn't be called life at all." She bows her head a bit. "Things, aren't as easy as that Christine. We don't live in some jacked up fairy tale...things...take time." She says, sounding more calm. Then her head shoots back at me.

I stare at her. "Maybe we can help...maybe we can fix things."

She shakes her head as I continue. "There could still be hope..." I feel like a child wondering if Santa Claus is real. "For Jason _and _you. If he just comes home... If you tell us who you are, maybe we can help both of you..." She tenses, then her eyes narrow and she grips the gun even tighter.

"Hope…" she mumbles. "You don't understand Carter."

I feel the cold air return and I stand up straight "Why? Why did you choose this path? What drove you into this life?"

Her eyes widen even more. "YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!" She yells at my face. "You don't know what I've been through! YOU DON'T KNOW PAIN!" It's as if a volcano just erupted inside of her.

I'm not following what she's saying, but I answer anyways. "I know what pain is Phoenix..."

"NO! NO YOU DON'T!" I stay silent. "I know who you are, your past. You're parents died-" I tense and suddenly it feels like all hell just broke loose inside of me.

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP!" I yell, but she doesn't.

"They died, but not right in front of you...you weren't traumatized like your brother was...you didn't hold your parents' dead bodies close to you. You were safely taken to an goddamned orphanage as a baby...you were taken care of! Then you were adopted by a man that actually cared about you! He took you in! And you had a family, you still do up until now! You were, and still are happy. I on the other hand grew up alone...I didn't have a family like you did. I had no one, you had everything!" she spits. "If you had gone through what I have… GODDAMMIT! You would have turned out the same!" Her eyes narrow.

"YOU DONT KNOW THAT! YOU DONT KNOW ANYTHING! SURE I WAS TAKEN CARE OF BUT I WAS IN A FRICKIN ORPHANAGE, A PLACE THAT CONSTANTLY REMINDS KIDS THAT THEY AREN'T LOVED...THAT THEY ARE ALONE IN THE WORLD! THATS HOW I FELT EVERY DAY OF MY LIFE IN THAT PRISON! I ALWAYS THOUGHT THAT MY PARENTS HAD ABANDONED ME! THE PAIN THAT BRINGS TO A CHILD IS...OVERWHELMING...AT LEAST YOU HAD A FATHER AND A MOTHER!"

"GODDAMNIT CARTER! YOU HAVE NO IDEA! MY MOTHER NEVER EVEN LOVED ME! I THOUGHT MY FATHER DIDN'T LOVE ME EITHER, BUT HE DID, BUT BEFORE HE EVEN TOLD ME THAT, HE DIED, RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME! AND AFTER THAT...THE ONE PERSON THAT I THOUGHT THAT ACTUALLY CARED FOR ME TOLD ME THE EXACT OPPOSITE OF THE WORDS _I LOVE YOU_! RIGHT TO MY FACE! THEY ALL DIED, THE PEOPLE I LOVED, THE PEOPLE I CARED FOR...THEY'RE GONE, FOREVER, THEY TOLD ME THAT THEY WEREN'T GOING ANYWHERE, BUT THEY LIED, AND LEFT. I WAS ALONE! YOU WERE NEVER ALONE, NEVER ON YOUR OWN! YOU DON'T KNOW HOW COLD IT IS TO LIVE WITHOUT SOMEONE TO EVEN GLANCE A CONCERNED LOOK AT YOU! YOU DON'T KNOW HOW IT'S LIKE TO BURN IN HELL...YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT I'VE BEEN THROUGH! YOU THINK YOU WEREN'T LOVED? THEN YOU'RE BLIND! HOW COULD YOU NOT SEE IT?!" She looks at me in disgust. "Look at your damn family...you have Bruce, a father...Richard and Timothy, two older brothers...Damian, a younger brother. AND YOU SAY THAT YOU WEREN'T LOVED!? HOW CAN YOU BE SO BLIND!?" She screams.

Now...now I think I understand...I'm stunned... "You're jealous...jealous of me...aren't you?"

She glares at me. "I am jealous, of all of you...even Jason. You all had a family, and still do…you were all loved, even for one time...and you were all able to keep that love...I wasn't..."

I...I don't really know what to say... I was never the best at consoling people…much less an insane girl...

She glares at me. "Now tell me...are you still going to ask me, why? Why I chose that path? Why I chose darkness over light? Why I'm insane?"

I mutter, "no," but I'm not sure if she heard me. "But we can help you...we can guide you on a different path. We can bring you back... You just need to let me...to let us help you. You want to be loved? Just have Jason come back to the family."

She looks the other way.

"Bruce can adopt you too, and you'll have another chance at a family..." Her head shoots back at me and the flames get even more intense.

"YOU THINK HE CAN HELP ME?! HE LET THIS HAPPEN! SHIT! I DON'T WANT HIS HELP!"

"What do you mean?"

She looks away. "It doesn't matter... I want Jason to go home, he needs it. I know it. One day...he'll go home. But I'm not coming with him. I can't."

"You won't-"

She shakes her head. "I can't...I just can't..."

"Yes you can."

"No...I don't belong in a family. I can't be loved. As I told you before, Carter, it's not easy. We don't live in some fairy tale, where we ALL live happily ever after with a family, NO. I'm not...sane."

"Everyone's got a bit of sanity left in them, it's just that some people choose to tuck it away somewhere where they think they'll never find it again. But trust me, everyone can find their sanity if they try hard enough."

She chuckles a little. "Can a madman make another madman sane?...I doubt it."

I choose to stay silent.

"Thank you for making me remember something that I nearly forgot." Umm... What the hell is she talking about?

"What?"

"Family...it's just a word, like love. It only exists for the people that have it. But to me, it is just a word," she says so coldly and harshly. My eyes widen.

"That's not-" Batman crashes through the boarded window next to us, cutting me off and causing shards of wood to fly everywhere, some hitting my arm shielding my face. Phoenix puts her gun away and narrows her eyes at the angry Bat right in front of her.

She smiles. "Now is not the time..." she whispers, before she throws a smoke bomb to the ground and disappears. I know Batman wants to go after her, but he doesn't. Instead, he turns to me.

"Nightingale! Are you alright?" Batman's deep voice is full of fear and worry, though he's trying to hide it. I nod in response, still staring at the empty space where Phoenix was standing. I can feel my heart pounding in my chest, then it slows down. My vision starts to blur and everything turns black.

****Break****

I grunt as I open my eyes. I look up and see my entire family surrounding my bed Huh? How'd I get in my room. The last thing I remember is seeing Phoenix, and then she is replaced by Batman. I'm covered in bandages and there's a band aid on my forehead. I grunt and hold my bed as I try to sit up.

"What happened?"

"You tried to fight Phoenix." Bruce says bluntly.

"YOU ALMOST GOT YOURSELF KILLED!" Dick suddenly yells and pulls me into a hug.

"Sorry?" I wince.

Bruce shakes his head. "You are grounded young lady." I don't even have the energy to complain, so I simply nod.

"What did Phoenix tell you?" Damian asks.

I think for a moment. "Nothing...she...she didn't tell me anything."

"You sure?" Tim asks.

"Yeah, I thought that maybe I could find out her identity, but...she didn't give it away. Even if she did, I don't have any proof," I say.

Dick finally lets go. "You should get some rest." he says.

Dick gently pushes my shoulder and I slowly lie down.

"Not that I'm not grateful and all, but why didn't she kill you?" Tim asks.

I look down at my injured body. I'm still dressed as Nightingale. I don't think I have the energy to change into my pjs, so I guess I'm sleeping like this. At least none of them tried to change my clothes...I don't want to think about that. Phoenix is still imprinted in my mind. I can't bring myself to look into anybody's eyes.

"I...I don't know."

Tim sighs and nods, "Okay."

"Just get some rest Chris...we'll discuss this tomorrow." Bruce senses that I'm just tired. Why is he not killing me himself? How does he manage to always keep a straight face and not lash out? I'm too exhausted to think now... I nod in response, still not making eye contact with any of them.

"Good night." Dick says as he walks out and herds my other two brothers out of my room.

Bruce kisses my forehead. "Night Chris."

I look at Bruce. "Good night dad...thanks."

He frowns at me. "Thanks for what? Saving you?"

"That and...for loving me..."

He smiles and walks towards the door and closes it, leaving me alone in the dark with the moonlight illuminating through my slightly open window. It's already cold with the wind blowing in, but the freezing voice of Phoenix somehow makes me feel even colder under all these blankets.

"_Family...is just a word." _Her cold voice echoes through my mind. _"It only exists for the people that have it." _I can't imagine life without my family.

**A/N: Oh, by the way no offense to blond-haired girls out there. Anyways please review, we wanna know what you guys think about this story so far.**


	13. Missing Hood

**Chapter 13: Missing Hood**

**Jason's POV**

I walk down the hall heading towards the training room. Autumn's bedroom door opens and Autumn walks out with a book in hand. She seems really occupied with the book.

"What do you want for lunch?" I ask

"Anything." She mumbles, not taking her eyes off of the book.

"Okay, you cook lunch then." I say

"Okay." She responds, still not looking away from her book.

I roll my eyes, she passes by me still holding onto her book. Then I grab the book in one hand and I hold it up high. She tries to jump up and reach my hand where the book is hanging.

"Jason! Give it back!"

I chuckle glancing at the book "Oliver Twist?" I chuckle "Where'd you get this book?"

"I said give it back!"

"Make me." I say and I run down the hall, to the training room, chuckling.

I open the door as I hold up the book.

Suddenly, Autumn jumps over me and grabs the book out of my hand through the doorway and landing on her two feet on the blue mats of the training hall.

She holds onto the book and kicks my face as she frowns.

She keeps the book. I hit my face on the floor, and she holds me down and holds my hands behind my back.

"I'll make lunch, maybe it could be as good as Alfred's food."

"No one can top Alfred!" I mumble, trying to face my head up, but she pinned my head to the floor.

"Never said I would be able to, I only said it could be almost as good as his food."

"Cool." I say almost kissing the shiny, clean cement.

"IF! If you clean up your damn room, big bro!" She lets go of my hands and stands up as I jump up.

She brushes her shirt and her black shorts.

"Oh, by the way, I hung the clothes. Thanks for finally listening to your little sister and you did your own laundry!"

I grin. "Well, you're welcome. I don't let anyone do my laundry!"

"Sure." She says sarcastically. "Why not do some of the other chores? I've been stuck doing the chores all week!" She complains.

"Yeah, cause I am older, remember?"

"Only by like, seven years!"

"I'm still older, you do all the chores, while I chill out and play Call of Duty."

"No fair! I wanted to play Call of Duty!"

"Life's not fair."

"Fine. That's a good point…" She starts walking backwards, grinning. "But... I'm not washing the dishes today!" She starts running towards her room.

"Woah, woah who said so?!" I start running after her.

"I DID! HAHA!" She waves her hands as she runs like a maniac.

****Break****

**Autumn's POV**

Jason and I stand back to back shooting every head of any terrorist heading our way. I kick the man about to tackle my brother and I shoot the terrorist's head out. I elbow a man in the gut, and kick another's chest as I shoot three more people with my two uzi guns. Hood and I switch positions, I slide my foot on the floor to make another man fall, I shoot his leg and I stand up. I side kick the man by my side and I shoot his neck.

I stand up straight as my two guns start to smoke, I tuck them in my two holsters as I take a good look at the dark parking lot, with dead and bloody bodies of terrorists scattered everywhere. One man starts to get up and starts running for it, but I grab my knife and shoot it right through the man's head. He's pinned to wall, his body hangs limply as it just hangs there soaked in blood.

"GCPD's gonna be here any second." Hood keeps his guns as he stands right behind me.

I nod. "Let's go." I start walking towards my untouched motorcycle parked right beside Jason's.

"Don't think you've gotten out of trouble for disobeying my orders, hermana." I can see his smirk even under his helmet as he starts his bike, and I only smile lightly as I start driving out of the parking lot.

****Break****

"Autumn." Jason says firmly and I only look at him with a straight face.

"Why the hell would you take down that drug ring on your own without my permission?" He furrows his eyebrows.

Instead of feeling furious inside because Jason's chewing me off for taking down seven people during their meeting all on my own...I mean shouldn't he be proud?

Well, I'm not furious...in fact I feel the exact opposite. I feel happy because I know that someone out there actually cares for me, for my safety.

"You wanna be on monitor duty instead?"

I look at him "No." I mutter.

I look down as he waits for me to yell at him or to say something disrespectful back at him, or run to my room like the pre-teen I am. But...that's not me.

I've never disrespected anyone I cared about, not my dad, mom, Nico, anyone…

If I did something wrong, then I did something wrong and I have to accept the consequences of my actions like a good little grown up, and apologize.

Even if I didn't do anything wrong and they're still blaming me, it's okay, I'll just keep quiet and accept the punishment I don't deserve or just say sorry even if it's not my fault.

Because there's really no point in fighting back or running to my room like a kid.

I look up at him.

"Sorry Jase, my fault." I say loud enough for him to hear, not mumbling at all.

I can tell I caught him by surprise by me apologizing.

"I shouldn't have gone out without your permission...I shouldn't have disobeyed your orders I just needed to...let out some steam." I look back at him.

I really mean my apology, I understand that he gets worried for his little sister the same way I get worried for my big brother...but I was, confused and angry last night.

"Why? I don't remember getting mad at you or anything."

"You didn't. I was just angry."

"Why sis?" He asks and I look down.

"It doesn't matter." I look away.

"If it doesn't matter, then why do you still seem angry?"

"...It's a different reason." I avoid eye contact with him.

"What's the reason now?" He asks, but I still don't look at him.

"I...I had an encounter with Nightingale, when I was taking down the drug ring last night..."

"And...?" I look up at him with sad eyes.

"I told her something I shouldn't have."

"What's that?"

"I told her that...that you aren't my brother!" I almost yell. "But...but you are my brother...right!?" I ask as my eyes became teary.

I feel like a little girl.

He pulls me into a hug. "Of course Autumn. You're my sister and I am your brother." I hug him tightly.

"THEN...WHY DIDN'T I JUST TELL HER THAT YOU ARE MY BROTHER!?" I should have just said that Jason is my brother.

This is simply bothering me because, I was so happy to finally have a brother and here I go telling people that he's not my brother! What is wrong with me!?

"Hey, sis," he crouches down a little, "maybe...it's because you're still not used to it."

"But...I said that you're not my brother, you're just a friend...you're something _like_ a brother. BUT YOU ARE MY BROTHER!"

"Of course I am, but I'm not Phoenix's brother. I'm Autumn's brother. You and I both know that Phoenix and Autumn are different. The same way how Jason and Hood are different, but still the same person. Okay?"

I nod in response. "I guess, I guess that makes sense..."

My eyes widen and I realize something scary. "But...doesn't that mean that Phoenix is taking over Autumn?!"

"That's the thing, you have two different sides, but still the same, it's up to you if you wanna keep them separated."

"I don't think...I want Phoenix to take over."

"But...doesn't that mean that...Phoenix is taking over Autumn?"

"That's the thing. Phoenix and Autumn are two different people, but still the same in a way. It's up to you, if you wanna keep them separate."

I look down "I don't want Phoenix to take over Autumn, Jason."

I say and he hugs me tightly. "Me neither."

I was just so overwhelmed on having a brother, how can I suddenly say that he isn't my brother?

Sometimes brothers give horrible advice, sometimes they give good advice. I like having a big brother. Jason's the best big brother ever! Well, he is my only brother.

"Neither do I." He mumbles.

He lets go and smiles at me, and I smile back like a little kid. I feel like that two year old again, who seemed to always wear pigtails, and who always seemed to smile a lot. I wonder what happened to that girl.

All these years I thought she had died...but here she is right now, talking to her big brother.

Sometimes even I forget that I am just a kid.

****Break****

**Tim's POV**

It's silent...here in Bruce's study, which is weird because the second Chris entered the study, I thought there would be at least some shouting, but no...there's only a few murmurs coming from Bruce. For the past few days, Chris has been coming out of her room and walking toward the study, but when she reaches the door, she just stands there...looking inside the room. I know she's not allowed to go out yet, but this is different than just waiting...it's like she's thinking about something...something troubling her, and she's not sure whether or not to tell someone. Then, she just goes back upstairs to her room and locks everyone out. One time, I decided to go after her.

"Hey, you okay?" I asked her and she nodded.

"Yeah, I'm perfectly fine," she said and then she walked into her room and shut the door. When she answered me, she had a distant look in her eyes...what did Phoenix do to her?

Chris has already recovered from her injuries. I'm glad Phoenix didn't kill my sister...if that insane girl did kill my sister...then I don't know what I'd do, what any of us would do.

If Chris died... Why would Chris even go after Phoenix on her own!? I still need to talk to her about it, but she's been acting weird lately.

Not weird like the way she usually is, but I mean weird like...being so silent lately. Ever since her encounter with Phoenix, she's been so deep in thought.

She's been trying to avoid talking to anyone...

When Chris finally entered the study, everyone just stopped what they were doing.

We are all just about to head down into the cave and get ready for patrol. Well actually, Dick, Damian, and I are going out on patrol while Bruce tracks down Red Hood and Phoenix...again. Chris, however...

"What are you doing here? You know you're not allowed to go out on patrol. You're still grounded." Bruce says to her in a stern tone.

"I just wanna help out in the cave...like Oracle kinda." At least she's talking a little more than usual...but she still seems kinda distant.

Bruce doesn't answer her immediately. He just keeps staring at her...I'm not sure if he's pondering, wondering, something...I don't know! Well you never really know what Bruce is thinking unless he really shows it...

"Fine, but if we need help, call Alfred and the Justice League, got it?"

"Ok..." Chris mutters. She also hasn't been arguing a lot lately either...

I open the grandfather clock door and everyone heads down into the Batcave.

****Break****

**Autumn's POV**

It's dark, it burns, it hurts...

Someone, please help me.

I know no one's gonna help me. Who can? I can hardly move in this tight space. Controls are burned, oxygen slowly fading, and it's too...dark. I wanna get out of here, but I can't.

I'll burn.

I can't move...I'm scared...

I can't see anything but I know that I'm in the escape pod...it's so dark and I feel like there's an earthquake. I'm crashing to earth in a hot ball of fire. My clothes may be fireproof, but not even I can handle this kind of heat. I may be able to burn people but I'm not fire proof myself.

Dad, mom, help me please.

I'm...scared. I'm crawled up in a ball, holding onto myself and closing my eyes as I cough for oxygen and as I try not to think of the pain in these burns, wounds, and bruises all over my body. The dark and metal escape pod violently rattles me as everything around me starts to burn.

Somebody...help…?

I'm not scared of Death, I've faced it before...I'm just scared...of...of something in this crashing escape pod...I just don't know what.

No one can save me, even if they wanted to…I'll have to save myself.

I have to face this alone, just like I've faced everything else in my life.

I'm used to it. I'm used to being alone.

'BOOM!'

I open my eyes and blink twice. I stare up at the ceiling for a while, thinking about that traumatizing moment. I still have the scars to trigger the memories.

I never liked sleeping...ever.

With my dad, we always trained...no time to sleep. When there was time to sleep, I couldn't. I was worried about the day when the GCPD would find us, or when one day I'll burn everyone I care about with my own hands.

With my mom, I stayed up all night looking for food, or wondering when my mom would choke on her own saliva, or when she would cry herself to death...or when her dealers would come and sell to her.

Even on my own I was never really asleep, I had to keep an eye out for any sick rapists or dealers.

I rub my eyes and check my phone. 8:52 am. That's late. It's been two weeks since my little outburst, and I've been locking myself up in my room since then.

I walk to the washroom and wash my face. I turn off the faucet and stare at the scars on my wrists. I sigh and I look at the mirror right in front of me.

Instead of my own reflection appearing...my dad's face appears.

His eyes are toxic green and glowing and his face is pale, his black and spiky hair is slightly hazy and his mouth is hanging open, as if he's trying to say something.

I know my dad's ghost has been following me because I've felt it, not because I've seen it myself.

My eyes lower, and I close my mouth as I stare at the mirror.

"You really think you can surprise me?" I ask casually, like I'm talking to any normal-not-dead human being.

He seems to be trying to say something but can't. I guess in death no one has a voice.

"What the hell do you want?" I ask him harshly, but he just floats there.

My dad's frown gets bigger as he tries to talk.

I ball my hands into fists and I scowl. After all these years, I wondered where he was...I had so much to say to him, and I thought that maybe he has some things to say to me too. But all he's doing now is floating there?

Where was he then? Why did he only appear now?!

I sigh and I look down, scowling at the floor. I look back at the mirror and all I see is my face now.

I missed my dad, but I hate him now…

I thought I still missed him, but really, all I missed were all the few memories.

He's the reason why I was angry two weeks ago, why I went to take down that drug ring and Nightingale on my own. I was angry at my dad. For making me what I am today.

If he really was able to see the future...then why didn't he tell me that all this was gonna happen? Why didn't he prevent his own death if he knew it was gonna happen? Why did he let this happen? Why did he leave me to walk alone? Why did he let me suffer alone?

I move out of the bathroom.

I can't move on to the future without getting rid of the ghost of the past.

Maybe I can ask the other dead guy living in this house if he knows anything about ghosts.

He left last night, he told me to stay here, and I didn't plan on disobeying his orders again.

He was holding a gun in one hand and a pack of cigarettes in the other.

He should be back by now.

****Break****

**Chris' POV**

This is a total deja vu moment... I'm sitting in front of the BatComputer, alone in the Batcave, playing that game on the computer. I already beat the high score multiple times and now I'm bored. Although my injures have almost healed, I don't think I can climb the t-rex. Might as well monitor where everyone is. I change the screen and the map of Gotham pops up. The tiny dot representing Batman is back in that warehouse he found me in two weeks ago, probably looking to see if Phoenix left anything behind. Nightwing and Robin are over on the North side of Gotham, standing on top of a roof. Red Robin, on the other hand, is over on the West side by the docks, constantly moving around. I wonder what's up. Maybe he's fighting some thugs...or he could be pacing back and forth studying for a test he has tomorrow. Ha, yea that's totally like him.

I decide to call him over the com link to see what's going on.

"Hey Red, what's going on with you?"

Tim's voice comes in, "Gale, I'm kinda busy here."

"Don't call me Gale! And yea, I can see that." Suddenly I hear a deep voice in the background and the sound of bones breaking fills the com. "Hey! You actually are beating up some thugs and not just being a total nerd!"

"At least you're a little more cheery than you've been these last two weeks. But anyway, there were some thugs bringing in a shipment of guns and bombs. I'm tying them up now. Could you notify the police?"

"Say please."

"Just do it!"

"I'm not doing anything until you say please." Ah, my favorite pastime. Annoying Tim. I can see why Alfred enjoys telling us to be polite. I am in better spirits...I guess I just needed to get back in the field...well I'm still in the cave but close enough!

"Ugh...fine. Nightingale, could you please notify the police while I go and help Batman over in the East side of Gotham?"

"See, that wasn't so hard now was it?"

"Shut up and leave me alone already."

"You're rude." I'm about to break the connection when I realize something. "Wait, you should head over to the South side. No one's covering that area."

"It's fine. Nightwing already told me that they were gonna check that area out. He told me to check out the East side."

"Oh ok, Nightingale out."

After I call Commissioner Gordon to notify him of the criminals waiting for him at the docks, I call Dick on the com.

"Nightwing, anything to report?"

"Nothing yet. Hey could you ask Red Robin to cover the South side, I don't think anyone's over there."

"What? I told Tim to go over there, but he said that you told him to help out Batman." This is weird.

"I didn't tell him that. I haven't even talked to him over the com the entire night. I was just about to ask him to check out the South. Robin, did you do something?"

Suddenly, Damian's com turns on. "Stop accusing me, Grayson. I did no such thing! Why don't you accuse your sister! She's capable of this too!"

"I know she isn't messing with us. She wouldn't do that out on the field."

"Yea Damian! I can't believe you don't trust me." Actually, I get his point.

"That's not too hard to believe..."

"Something weird is going on...Robin, continue to patrol here. I'm gonna head over to the South."

I remind him, "Batman's gonna kill you if you leave Damian on patrol alone. You know how overprotective he is."

I hear Damian mutter something, but Dick's voice takes over. "Fine. Notify Batman. I just spotted some suspicious figures down below. Robin, lets go."

I end the conversation and turn on my connection to Batman's com link. It's not too bad working here in the cave. But I'd choose going out there over this any day.

"Nightingale, what is it?"

Hey, I'm supposed to be the one to talk first! "Well first, Tim's on his way over there to help you. Two-"

Batman cuts me off. "I'll tell him to go down to the South side. I've got everything I need. I'm gonna patrol here now."

"Umm as I was saying...apparently Tim got a call from Dick telling him to go help you, but when I called Dick, he said he didn't call Tim."

"Hm...alright, I'm going to head down to the South side. I'll tell Red Robin to patrol here instead."

"Can I come with you?"

"No." Aww, it was worth a try. "Search the BatComputer for any evidence of hacking. Then continue doing research on...her."

"Okay." He knows that I'm just going to find another dead end if I research Phoenix. He just wants to keep me occupied. I noticed that everyone stopped mentioning Phoenix around me. I'm kinda over it now. It's not like I'm gonna have a mental breakdown.

"Batman out."

I sigh as I begin to scan the computer for hacking.

****Break****

**Bruce's POV**

Someone's messing with us. I just need to find out who, and this area seems to have something to do with it. Maybe someone's trying to keep us away from here, but that won't work. I'm going to find out what's going on here. Nightingale's voice comes over the com link.

"Alright, so whoever hacked into the computer really knows their stuff. They were almost completely able to cover their tracks, but yea, someone did hack it."

"Any idea who?" Mental note: improve security system for the BatComputer.

"No, but there's something else."

"What?"

"Turns out the computer was hacked before."

I stop walking and crouch down. Then, I lower my voice.

"Was it four years ago?"

"Yea. They went through all of our files. They looked at everything. This person knows our identities. How did you know it was four years ago?"

"I found out soon after the person hacked into the system."

"Oh ok...so who do you think did it?"

"Are you talking to that brat of yours?" A cold hard voice comes from behind me. I swiftly stand up and turn around to see Phoenix standing right behind me. I try to punch her in the face, but she does a backflip and puts distance between us.

"Woah, hold up Wayne, I'm not here for another fight. One blood battle with a Bat is enough for now." She says while putting her hands up.

I stare at her, still in my fighting stance, prepared for anything.

"Batman, what's going on?" Chris asks over the com.

"I think I know who hacked the computer. It explains why she knows who we are."

"It took you four years to figure it out, huh. You're getting rusty." Phoenix mocks.

Chris' voice comes in again, "Four years ago...I was 8 back then...she said...she figured out our identities when she was 8... We're about the same age."

Some kid huh?

"..."

"I learned how to hack into systems like the League's when I was five. It was easy to hack into your system when I turned eight. Looks like you need to upgrade your system."

Noted.

"Wait, are you with Phoenix?" Chris asks.

If I say yes, then she'll probably come out of the cave and meet me here. "No. I'm fine. Just a street thug trying to steal some lady's purse."

She seems to believe me, although she sounds suspicious. "Okay...anyway I'll just be here...checking out whatever everyone else is doing...waiting to see if any alarms are triggered..." She turns off the com connection.

"Lying to your little girl...really Batman? I wonder how many times you lied to your sons, especially Jason." She shakes her head.

"What do you want?" I growl at her. She's not supposed to be on the South side of Gotham. Her territory is the East side along with Red Hood.

"I see my little plan to get you over here worked."

"You're the one who contacted Red Robin?"

"Yup." She says, looking proud. "I used a voice modulator to imitate Grayson's voice."

"Obviously...what do you want?" I repeat.

"I need your help."

"Hardly..."

"I mean it! It's...it's Hood."

What now? What did Jason do that could possibly make Phoenix come to me for help?

"What about him?"

"He's...missing..." She looks down to the ground as she says this.

"Why should I believe you? I don't know if I can trust you. You almost killed my family."

"Because I have no reason to lie to you. The only reason we ever beat you up is if you get in our way. I wouldn't be coming to you if it weren't for a good reason. And trust me, I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't have to."

Should I trust her? I'm not sure...but she _almost _killed us. She could've, but she didn't...why?

"Please...just help me find him and things will go back to us being at each other's throats." She keeps avoiding eye contact. Did she just beg?

I might regret this later on, but if Jason really is in trouble, it's worth checking it out.

"Fine. Let me notify everyone else."

"NO. Tell anyone and I shoot you in the leg and I'll come after your family and kill them, then I'll kill you after you take a good look at their corpses." I almost shudder at the thought, but I'm in Batman mode right now.

I nod in response... I'd better make up an excuse then...

"And one more thing, Batman. Joker escaped." My eyes widen.

****Break****

**Damian's POV**

Well this was a boring night. There were only a few burglaries and drug cartels...nothing interesting. No breakouts, no explosions, nothing... Grayson and I enter the cave and find Carter sitting in front of the BatComputer with Drake standing behind her, watching what she's doing.

"How was your night, because ours was boring." Grayson says.

"Well, I was cooped up in here for 4 hours. I had nothing else to do but talk to you guys over the com and play this game on the computer." Carter says.

I look at what she's playing, and it looks like a really old version of Mario and Donkey Kong. Mario keeps jumping over barrels that Donkey Kong is throwing. Peach is at the top next to Donkey Kong, inside a barrel for some reason. That looks stupid.

But for some reason, Nightwing backs away from the computer at the sight of the game.

"It was a slow night for me too. All I got to do was take down an illegal shipment." Drake says.

"I wonder where Father is." I say.

"Let's see..." Carter replies.

She pauses her game and flips to the map of Gotham. Four dots are all in the Batcave, but one dot is moving across the South side in the direction of the East side.

"He's moving faster than usual, and he's not on the road so he can't be in the Batmobile," Grayson comments.

"I think something's up..." Carter states.

"What makes you say that?" I ask her.

"Well...when I was talking to Bruce...all of a sudden it sounded like he started fighting someone. When I asked him who, he said it was some guy trying to steal a lady's purse..."

"Isn't that your excuse whenever something happens out in the field?" Drake asks her.

"Yeah. That's why I got suspicious. We were talking about who could've hacked into the BatComputer and then-"

Grayson interrupts her, "Wait, SOMEONE HACKED INTO THE BATCOMPUTER?!"

"Stop yelling you're hurting my ears! Anyway, yeah someone hacked the computer. The person contacted Tim, telling him to head over to where Batman is. What did you think, Dick? How else would someone have talked to Tim over the com link? Jeez...you need to improve your detective skills... But the computer was also hacked 4 years ago...Dick did you know that?"

"Yes. Bruce told me. He said that the person who did it didn't cover their tracks very well, but Bruce couldn't figure out which computer was used to hack into ours or who did it." Grayson replies.

"Well over the com, Batman said that he thinks he knows who hacked the computer. He didn't say who, but all he said was, 'It explains why she would know our identities,' and my first thought was Phoenix."

Everyone was silent. For the past two weeks, we all avoided saying that name around her. One time I was talking to Father about Phoenix and Carter walked into the room. When she heard me say her name...she cringed and ran back to her room. She locked herself in and didn't come out for dinner. She didn't unlock her room until the next morning. At least now we know she's recovered from her "trauma."

Carter continues. "And there's no way he would mention Phoenix, even if he did it indirectly, in front of some random thug."

"So you think he encountered Phoenix?" I ask.

"Sounds likely." Drake says.

"No one asked you Drake! I was talking to Carter." I'll say it bluntly: I don't like Drake.

"Shut up you two. We need to figure out what's going on here." Carter scolds.

"We should go after Batman and see what's going on." Grayson says as he heads for his Night Cycle. Drake and I follow him and hop onto our cycles when Carter calls after us.

"Can I come? It's so _boring_ here."

"Sorry. If we brought you, who knows what will happen to you. Bruce would ground you again and kill all three of us, especially me." Grayson replies.

Carter grunts in response and turns back to the computer, continuing to play that stupid Donkey Kong game as the three of us exit the Batcave.

****Break****

**Autumn's POV**

I really don't wanna do this, but what choice do I have? I don't have anyone else to turn to for help, and I'm really worried about Jason. Batman's the only one who can help me now...

We are heading back to the East side to search for Jason. Last I heard from him, he just left without a word but "Why don't you get some rest?" He left looking all angry and serious, but he did a marvelous job at hiding it. He should know by now that it's useless to lie to me. He's been gone for hours.

"Give me details." Batman orders in his deep voice.

"He's been gonna for hours, he simply left without another word...but I have a hunch." I say jumping to the next building.

"First things first. No guns, no killing."

I smile. "No worries, Batman." I growl his name.

"Continue." He orders. What am I, HIS sidekick?!

But I continue, I look at my holographic wrist computer as we both stand on top of a building. "Joker's escaped Arkham." I glance at him, "AGAIN," I spit.

He narrows his eyes. I smile mockingly. "It's a good thing all your children are at home, right?" I give a small grin.

He moves to the other end of the building and I follow right behind him. "I'll follow by those two rules, but let's get one thing straight. I AM NOT YOUR PARTNER." I say as I take out my grapple gun and shoot towards the next building. First, to Arkham.

****Break****

Puddles of blood lay everywhere around The Joker's therapy room.

On the wall of the white room are words all in blood.

**JOKER WAS HERE**

Batman and I examine the cell. He looks at the table, and I take one good look at the door, the table in the middle of the bright room, and the chair flipped over. Under the table is a corpse, probably one of a doctor.

I think I know what happened. "The doctor was coming in." I crouch down to look at the large hole in the doctor's stomach. Then I move to the small knife lying on the floor. "Joker, had this knife, and as the doctor came in, he stabbed the doctor in the back. Joker cut a hole through the doctor's stomach to get...a key."

I look at the wound, and at the bloody key hole on the door knob. "The knife was planted under the table, but the locks on this door were only able to be opened by the key, which the doctor had in HIS stomach."

Batman narrows his eyes. "Someone broke him out. Who would want this mad man out?"

I shake my head. "No, he broke himself out. He has his own men, and Harley's still out there. It only makes sense that he got himself out with the help of Harley and A LOT of his men."

I take a look at the blood, it's obviously the doctor's blood.

Sick.

I squint and I find something carved on the wall. "Batman, take a look at this." I say without any emotion. He comes over to my side and narrows his eyes.

I open up my holographic computer and I take a picture. I zoom in.

**LaffCo.**

I get it. Batman takes a look at the picture and starts to analyze it with his own eyes.

He stands up straight. "Let's go." He says, walking out of the therapy room, and I walk right behind him.

Whatever that madman is planning, and whatever it has to do with Jason...it can't be good.

But the only way to play this mad game against a madman is to be just as mad as my enemy is.

****Break****

**Chris' POV**

I lean my head on my palm. I've been playing this game for hours...ugh. How does Oracle live like this?

I suddenly get an alert, so I click the alert. My eyes widen. I turn on the com connecting to everyone's but Batman's (cause he turned off his com).

"Guys…" I say, staring at the picture.

"Gale, what is it?" Tim asks. Ugh...I wish he'd stop calling me that.

"The clown escaped."

Silence.

"Nightwing…" I break the silence.

"Yeah?"

"Have you found Batman?"

"Not yet, but I get it now...why he was just at Arkham a few minutes ago."

"I think...he really is with Phoenix."

A short silence. "Why do you think so?" Damian's voice echoes.

"Because...Joker's got Jason."

I stare at the picture of The Joker grinning, holding up The Red Hood's helmet.

One eye of the helmet is cracked, and there's a huge smile on the helmet, in a different shade of red. The Joker holds the helmet with one hand and a bloodied metal crowbar in the other hand.

NOT GOOD.

****Break****

**Bruce's POV**

I'll have to admit, I'm impressed...with her detective skills, of course.

But I can't believe this. Phoenix, the girl that tried to kill my family, is sitting right next to me in the BatMobile.

She's on her holographic computer, typing rapidly.

"Dammit…" She whispers. "Batman, I'm now sure...that The Joker's got Hood." She shows me the picture. "This picture showed up on every single screen connected to cyberspace. Everyone's seeing this right now."

Not good...that means that they have figured it out by now...great.

I stop the car right in front of the abandoned toy factory. Why would Joker give us a location? It's obviously a trap...but it's the only lead we've got.

We enter the dark and empty factory. I can hear our own footsteps echo in the dark. But I am the dark.

We stop, once we see the large box in the middle of the factory,. It seems so out of place.

It looks like a jack in the box, with a crane on the side and all. Phoenix frowns and narrows her eyes. Suddenly, the box starts playing music and the crane starts moving.

It slowly starts playing "Pop Goes the Weasel." I don't like this.

The song finishes and there's a short silence before the face of a clown pops out of the box. The clown has its mouth open with a large smile reaching from ear to ear. Laughter echoes the empty factory as light from the moon seeps in from the skyline. The face of the clown is still connected the box.

The clown widens it's mouth and suddenly a screen is shown in the inside of the mouth. A video starts. The screen separates into two.

Around Gotham, TWO Jokers run around laughing their heads off.

One is laughing, standing on top of a children's hospital holding onto a trigger side by side with a lot of Joker thugs. The other Joker is driving a van laughing his head off, singing a happy tune.

The video stops, and the screen turns black. I suddenly hear a loud ticking coming from the jack in the box.

"Get down!" I yell at Phoenix, but she stays in place, not moving a muscle. "Come on!" I urge.

"No...it won't blow."

WHAT?

The box lets out hundreds of tiny pieces of paper coming from the clown's mouth. When all the pieces of paper are out, the box stops and starts to smoke.

Cards fall from up in the air and down onto us. I take one card. On one side is a jack, on the other side is a note.

North, south?

That's all it says on the card, nothing else. The box starts to smoke rapidly, and Phoenix and I start running out the door.

Now it's gonna blow.

The building explodes right behind us, and we only make it in time to get a few feet away. Phoenix flips, avoiding another blow of explosion.

We run.

We stand by the BatMobile, looking at the fiery building.

"That was fun, a really fun mystery." She says sarcastically.

"How did you know that it wasn't gonna blow?" I ask without emotion.

"I spent a lot of time with explosions and bombs." She explains casually.

"We split up." I say and she nods.

"I'll go north, you go south," she says as she pulls out a baton. I walk to the door of the driver's seat.

When I turn to look at her, she's sitting on a bike that came out of nowhere and already driving north.

I get in my car, trying to hide a smirk.

How does Jason put up with this kid? How does this kid put up with Jason?

Of course...that is, if Jason is even still alive.

****Break****

**Jason's POV**

No, no, no...no!

"Hahahaha!" That sick laughter echoes through this damn warehouse. The bloody crowbar strikes again, and I grunt. "I bet you're wondering why this is happening all over again ey Bird-boy?"

"Don't," I breathe and he only laughs. The crowbar connects with my thigh, and I hear a loud crack.

"You see…" he continues, "I killed you...it was the greatest punchline ever! I don't know how you came back, but I KILLED YOU! You messed up my greatest punchline ever! Now, I'm going to reenact it! HAHAHA!" He laughs.

No...no, no, no...this isn't happening, not again.

My nightmares, the ones that I've dreamt about night after night, are becoming real.

That distant memory...has come back to me at full force.

The crowbar strikes again and I grunt, listening to another one of my bones cracking.

It's been hours...I think, or has it been days? It's hard to tell, when I'm being beaten to a pulp and being forced to relive my...death.

I remember being sad, for not being able to say "goodbye" or "thank you" or "I'm sorry." The first time this happened.

Another strike.

Although this time...I'm not trying to save Sheila, because she's already dead.

But even before, I knew no one was going to save me, not Bruce, not Batman. I knew that no one was going to make it in time. I never hoped for anyone to come and save me...and I'm not starting now that I'm gonna die soon.

My face connects with the cold hard ground. The crowbar slams my back, and all I can do is grunt.

Like before, I'm not gonna scream, I'm not gonna cry...not ever.

All I can hear is laughing as black spots dance around my vision.

I don't even remember how I got here, or where I am...but I'm pretty sure that this is Gotham.

The crowbar strikes my head.

I struggle to get out of these ropes. My hands are tied behind my back with metal cuffs...I can't move my legs because every move I make hurts like hell.

"Isn't it fun to relive some memories?" The Joker taunts, striking again with the bloody crowbar.

No...I hate remembering.

I try to get out of the tight cuffs, and as I move my wrists I can feel cold wetness drip down my arms.

My weapons were taken, my gloves and boots are gone, and so is my helmet. All I've got are my pants with empty pockets, my tattered and bloody gray spandex top that was armored until the crowbar shattered my armor, and my red mask that has a large cut due to The Joker trying to painfully rip it off.

I wasn't supposed to relive this moment...but...when I found out that The Joker had escaped Arkham, I had to take my chance...it was supposed to be the other way around...but The Joker planned this. He had everything all set...Joker thugs, and Harley Quinn to overwhelm me.

I'm sure that I set up a fight with them...but in the end...I was captured. I fell into another damned trap because of vengeance…

I wonder if Bruce knows...do Dick, Tim, Chris, and Damian know that I was captured?

Maybe, they don't know. Tomorrow they'll all wake up and find out that I'm dead.

I grunt as I listen to my ribs crack. I cough out blood, gasping for air.

I doubt that they don't know...Joker took a picture of himself with my helmet and the crowbar and sent it somewhere just before I blacked out the second time.

Will they even care if I died again? Or will they just be relieved that they're wish would finally come true...they don't say it, but I know that they wished that I just stayed dead.

I grunt and I move over, The Joker laughs as he hits me with the crowbar on the face again. He says some things but all I hear now is blood ringing in my ears.

I feel like I'm fifteen again…

I wonder how Bruce would move on. I'm sure he'll be just fine...he didn't seem bothered the last time. I doubt anyone would be bothered if I finally left and didn't come back.

The crowbar connects with my eye, and it triggers memories.

The bad ones...and the good ones.

I remember beating The Replacement to a pulp. I remember calling the Demon Spawn "The Replacement of The Replacement." I remember being almost defeated by Dick...before.

Looks like it turns out those training sessions with my little sister has also helped me to take on Dick. Too bad training with The All Caste, Talia, Batman, and Autumn didn't get me out of this one.

That's right...Autumn…my little sister.

I remember just two weeks ago when I stole her book and she kicked me in the face...when we sparred and I defeated her...when she was so pissed at me just for holding onto a box of cigarettes that she didn't talk to me for the rest of the day...or that one time when she caught me drinking and she shoved her ice cream up my nose and her ice cream cone in my beer bottle.

I would chuckle at the memories, but my chest hurts too much.

If I go...I know that she would care.

The crowbar hits again. "Gah." I choke on my own blood, the crowbar strikes again. "Ah." I gasp for air.

Autumn would care, she might be out there looking for me right now...she's probably worried out of her mind…

I breathe heavily as The Joker cackles. His face suddenly becomes darker as he grips the crowbar. "YOU RUINED MY GREATEST PUNCHLINE!" He strikes over and over, until I feel numb.

I only give him a sadistic bloody grin like I did before.

He crouches down and grabs my hair. "It's too bad nobody's gonna miss you Hoodie." He says with fake pity.

He's wrong. My little sister would miss me. She's lost her parents...she'll be all alone, on her own if I left...would I really do that to my little sister? Would I really leave her all alone?

"No one will need you...nobody cares for you!" Joker strikes again.

"Ah." I grunt.

Maybe...Bruce would take care of her? Or maybe he'll just throw her in Arkham… What would happen to her if I left? What if she rots in Arkham? What is she continues Phoenix after I'm gone and she gets herself killed?

I can't leave her all alone...she's just a kid...a kid that's lost almost everything...all she's got now is her big brother, and that's ME.

I can't leave my little sister alone...not when there's no one else out there to care for her.

"Gah." The world starts to spin and the back spots in my eyes start to get bigger. I can feel the blood dripping down my nose, mouth, and ears. I can feel the cold wetness running down my neck, soaking my hair and half my face...I can hardly see anything...but I hear Joker's sick cackling. Then the laughing stops, and I hear a loud clanging of metal hitting cement.

The bloody crowbar's laying on the floor right in front of my eyes.

I know this part...I hate this part…

"Well...I've gotta go...it's been fun though right? Hmm…" He bursts out laughing. "Let Uncle J give you a little piece of advice...this time...STAY IN BED, okay?" The cackling ends with the metal door slamming.

I really, REALLY don't like this part…this is always the part where my nightmares usually end, the only difference is...this time, I won't be waking up.

I listen to the soft ticking of a bomb as I lay here in a puddle of my own blood.

My eyes are wide as I stare at the bloody crowbar, my saliva dripping down my mouth...with all the pain in my body, I can't even bring myself to swallow, or breathe.

"See you in hell, Joker." I know, this time, Phoenix would avenge me…but no one will save me.

I close my eyes and listen to the bomb ticking down.

****Break****

**Dick'sPOV**

I remember when I was walking down the dark street in Gotham, with nothing but lamp posts to light the way, and the sound of the crickets chirping.

Suddenly I bumped into some kid holding onto a gold trophy.

"Sorry!" He blushed as I picked up the trophy. "I'm so clumsy!"

"It's okay, Tim." I said handing him the trophy. "What's this for?"

He looked down. "I won first place for the science fair, and I was just heading home to tell my dad."

"Wow, congratulations! You should tell Bruce!"

"I was going to...but he's not answering his calls."

"Hmm...well, I'm proud of you, and I'm sure you're dad will be too."

He looks up at me with his sky blue eyes. "Have you seen Jason around? I haven't seen him around lately...he hasn't been going to school either." I found it weird how the kid was concerned about Jason.

"No, I haven't seen that brat around." I said.

Tim nodded. "I thought, you guys lived in the same house?"

"Yeah, but I don't keep tabs on that street rat."

"Oh...Okay, I was just wondering." He said. "Just tell him I said hi. I gotta go, my dad's waiting!" Tim walked away and I waved goodbye.

"It was nice seeing you again."

I continued walking to the manor with my hands in my pockets. That was when I got the call.

My cellphone started ringing and two distraught words from Alfred sent me running. "Master Dick…"

I opened the doors to the manor with my keys, and I ran into the BatCave. I had that feeling that something was wrong.

I walked into the cave where Bruce was quietly talking to Alfred.

"Bruce?" I asked and they both turned to look at me. Bruce had dark circles around his eyes...I realized that something was definitely wrong. "What happened?" I asked again.

Bruce walked up to me. "Dick…"

"What happened?" I repeated before looking around the cave, "and not that I care or anything, but where's Jason?"

Bruce sighed, and I was absolutely sure that something was really off because Bruce was fighting back tears.

Bruce sighed and didn't say anything. Instead, he pointed to a large bag on a grungy.

I walked to the grungy, and slowly...I zipped open the bag. There was that stench...the disgusting stench of death and blood.

I held my breath as I looked at the face...my eyes were wide as I held the opened the bag even more.

"No...it can't be…" I stared at his face.

"No...no, it...it can't…" Tears started to stream down my eyes. I felt Bruce stand behind me.

"I...couldn't save him...I didn't come in time."

"NO! NO! HE CAN'T BE DEAD!" I said trying to shake the body. "JASON...Wake up! Wake up!" I cried as I shook the unmoving body. "Wake up and tell me Dad's lying!" I let the hot tears fall as my knees gave in and I kneeled beside the grungy. "WAKE UP! NO, NO!" I choked in my own sobs. "Wake up! Please! Tell me Dad's lying! I'm sorry okay? Now, PLEASE WAKE UP!" I yelled and my cries echoed the cave.

"I'm SORRY! I'll...be...I'll...be...a better brother! Just please...wake up! LITTLE WING PLEASE!" I thought that maybe calling him by the nickname that he hated would make him wake up.

I cried for what felt like hours, shaking him and begging the soulless body to wake up.

I just kneeled there, crying and waiting for him to just sit up and laugh in my face and tell me it was all just a stupid prank to get me to cry over him...but it never happened...Jason's body just lied there and his face stayed peaceful with a little frown on his face.

Bruce just stood there, staring at me...but I didn't care. Suddenly I got up and punched Bruce in the face.

"YOU LET HIM DIE! YOU LET MY LITTLE WING DIE!" I yelled as Bruce held his jaw. "You let him die!" I cried. "He died because of you!"

Bruce faced me. "You're right, it is my fault. But don't think that it wasn't your fault either!" He screamed. "You had a chance to be his big brother!" He let the tears flow, "BUT WHAT DID YOU DO?!"

I cried and fell back to the floor, punching the ground. "Little wing…" I kept muttering. "I'm sorry...I'm so sorry…" I don't know if I was saying sorry to Bruce or to Jason. But I was sorry.

That's why I'm not going to let him die again, not again. But first, we need to find The Joker, and I know that it will start there.

Gotham News reports that the clown stands on top of a children's hospital surrounded by dozens of Joker thugs and standing side by side with Harley Quinn.

We head towards the building surrounded by the GCPD.

"Commissioner Gordon." I say and the man turns around.

"Nightwing. Joker's up there."

I glance at Tim. "Nightingale says that Batman's up there."

I nod. "Then what are you guys waiting for? Let's go." I say, sounding serious.

**Tim's POV**

I went to his first funeral...I'm not going to his second one, because it's not going to happen, because we're not going to let him die.

I get to the rooftop of the building in no time, where I see Batman fighting the thugs and Harley Quinn at the same time.

We all join the fight. Damian and Dick head for the thugs, Batman fights Harley Quinn, and Joker silently starts to head for the elevator. I run after the madman as the elevator door opens.

Before he enters, I tackle him to the ground and pin him down, holding his hands behind his back. He starts to struggle in my grasp but he doesn't laugh. "What's the matter Joker? Bird got your tongue?" I say holding him down.

The fighting behind me dies down, and I know that they've just taken down the thugs and Batman's got Harley Quinn. But she just laughs.

"That ain't Mista J!"

"What do you-" I struggle, trying to keep Joker down. I grab his face and hold it down, and the white on his face smudges, revealing normal skin. "Make up!" I yell and punch his face in anger. I stand up and turn to Batman.

"TELL ME WHERE HE IS!"

We all gather around him.

"What are you doing here?" It sounds more like a statement than a question.

"Same as you, looking for Hood." Nightwing says back.

Batman narrows his eyes at Nightwing but Dick shoots back a glare.

"Fine." Batman growls.

"I thought you were with Phoenix?" I ask.

"We split up." Oh so Chris was right...

"Where's The Joker!" Dick growls. "If we find The Joker, then we find Jason!"

"He sent me here, it was a distraction." Batman states angrily.

**Bruce's POV**

Stupid! I should have went north! I was heading south... I found out that The Joker was on top of the children's building that he showed me in that jack in the box hours ago.

"I found him." Phoenix says over my com. I hate how she hacked into the systems. "I'm going in."

"You'll die." I say over the com.

"Like I care." The com turns off.

**Autumn's POV**

I crush the com under my feet but I don't take out the tracker that Batman planted on me because I know I'll need his help.

I watch the warehouse from a few feet away.

It looks old and abandoned...a white and purple van is parked right in front of the dark building.

A man with green hair and a purple blazer stepping out of the warehouse makes me tense.

He wipes his purple gloves that's coated in red blood on his jacket. I narrow my eyes and jump in.

****Break****

**Bruce's POV**

No, no, no, no, no. I won't let this happen, not again.

I won't let him die.

I step on the accelerator and push the BatMobile to its limit as my other sons ride on their motorcycles, not far behind me.

Jason's all the way on the north side, while I'm here at the south.

HOW COULD I HAVE BEEN SO STUPID AND CARELESS!?

I should have went north! How could I have been distracted!?

I won't fail him. I can't fail him. Not again.

I already failed him once, as a mentor _and_ as a father_._

I just can't loose my son again...I'm not going to bury him again.

I won't be able to afford to lose him again...he's my son, and I have to save him.

As we approach the warehouse, I start to mentally beg.

Please Jason, please be alive...I can't...you can't die. Not again. I'll save you, just wait...please be alive.

I jump out of the BatMobile and start running towards the warehouse.

I can see a melted truck parked by the warehouse.

My other three sons aren't far behind me.

Suddenly, there's an explosion. Everything is full of red and I am engulfed in fire. 'BOOM!'

I turn and shield my other sons as Nightwing yells, "JASON!"

Then there's another explosion. 'BOOM!' I hold onto my sons.

'BOOM!' A third explosion.

NO, NO, NO! I CAN'T BE TOO LATE!

I let go of my sons and I start running towards what's left of the warehouse.

No, no, no, no!

I search through the ashes.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Joker cackles under a pile of debris with blood dripping down his mouth and palms. "HAHAHAHA! THAT WAS FUN! LET'S DO IT AGAIN!" That sick clown is still alive after three explosions and probably a beating from Phoenix...how? I don't know.

I leave him to bleed out under that pile of rubble.

I search the entire place with one question in mind. WHERE IS HE?

We all look for him. I agitatedly dig through the ashes with my own hands.

I hear wood collapse on the ground from a distance.

"Father!" Robin calls from the west side of the rubble, and we all turn to him and start running towards the twelve year old.

He seems to be shocked at whatever he's seeing. His eyes are wide under his mask and he looks frozen in place.

We all run towards him in the dying fire and my boots dig into the ashes of the warehouse.

Just by the edge of what's left of the warehouse, two bodies lay.

"Oh my God." Tim gasps at the sight of the bodies.

Jason lays in the ashes with his face flat on the ground. Phoenix lays right beside him with her face flat on the ground as well and her arm around Jason's nape. It looks like she was trying to help him out of the building. It seems to me that they ALMOST made it out, but they weren't able to get far enough when the explosions took place.

I crouch down and turn Jason's body over, and I move Phoenix's arm from his nape. I feel my mind break when I see his face.

It's covered in black and purple bruises. There are large cuts on his forehead, across his mask, down his cheeks, and one across his lips. I put my arm around his back and slightly lift him up as I kneel beside him.

PLEASE, PLEASE, BE ALIVE...JASON PLEASE.

I try to swallow that large lump in my throat as I try to fight back the tears.

I put my finger on his wrist to feel his pulse…I feel comfort wash over me when I feel slow and soft heart beats.

"He's alive!" I nearly yell and I start to lift him in my arms like I did once before...when he died the first time. But it's okay, this time's different...he's not dead...not yet.

"So is she." Nightwing says as he picks up Phoenix as gently as possible.

We bring them both to the BatMobile.

**Tim's POV**

Batman gets in the vehicle and Nightwing hops on his motorcycle and The Demon and I watch as they drive away.

I turn to The Joker and start removing the debris covering the clown. Robin ties him up as tightly as possible.

"I've contacted the GCPD." Robin says and I nod without a single word.

In a matter of seconds the GCPD is surrounding the warehouse and Commissioner Gordon talks to the two of us.

"Didn't The Joker kidnap The Red Hood?" Commissioner Gordon scratches his head, "and what the heck happened here?" He asks with a puzzled look on his face.

"Red Hood got away. Batman and Nightwing's looking for him. You should know by now Commissioner...wherever The Joker goes, carnage isn't far behind." I answer, trying to hide my shaky voice.

"Hmm…" Commissioner Gordon seems suspicious but then he just shakes it off.

We spent hours collecting evidence and clearing things up for data.

But now, the Demon and I drive away back to the cave where Chris and Dick meet us.

"Fill us in." I say.

"We brought in Phoenix and Jason. Jason was rushed to the hospital in his civvies about an hour ago. Bruce and Alfred went but they didn't allow any of us to come. They told me to stay here, all of us." Dick says.

"Yea...his injuries seem to be pretty bad." Chris says looking down sadly.

"Phoenix tried to save him, but they both ended up getting caught in the blast...they have pretty bad injuries, both of them. Phoenix is in the med bay." Dick continues. "I don't know how any of them survived, but they both did. Looking at Phoenix's injuries...it looks like she tried to shield Jason but she was only able to take part of the blast for Jason, due to their size difference."

"So...Phoenix tried to save Jason?" I ask and Dick nods.

I take a glance at the glass case holding his old uniform that stands by the computer to remind Bruce of his greatest failure everyday even after he found out that Jason...came back.

"Wait, you'd keep HER here? She is the enemy! Why not just leave her to die?" Damian protests.

Dick's face becomes a bit darker as he looks at Damian. "You know that's not how things work around here. We can't bring her to the hospital because...well, one we can't bring a wanted criminal to a hospital...two, we don't even know who she is...and three, we can't move her out of the med bay because we won't get to the hospital in time if we move her. She'll die."

"It was...easier to rush Jason to the hospital because he already has an identity and we can move him without him dying on the way to the hospital since Alfred already half patched him up. They were so focused on Jason that Phoenix nearly flat lined. Luckily, Dick knew how the defibrillator works." Chris says.

"Yeah, now she and I are even." Dick adds.

"Fine, but don't say that I didn't warn you fools. She'll kill us all!" Damian crosses his arms.

"She can't do much with the injuries. I doubt even she can take us down with all her burns from the blasts. It turns out she isn't all that fire proof after all." Chris says.

"And, we took away all her weapons." Dick says, sounding a bit proud of himself.

Damian's face becomes darker "Do not underestimate the girl, Grayson. Up until now, even I am not entirely sure what she is capable of." Damian says looking away.

I smirk "aw, is the little demon afraid of a girl?" I mock and he avoids eye contact as he scowls.

"Damian's right, Tim. Phoenix is dangerous. She's obviously been trained and trained well." Chris says seriously.

"Did you guys unmask her yet?" I ask and they all turn to look at me.

"No. But we did get a little DNA sample." I nod, you gonna find out who she is then?

"Yeah, we already inputted the data on the computer, it's still analyzing." Chris says.

We move to the med bay at the same time.

Phoenix is laying on one of the beds. She's under a bright artificial light, and this time, I can see her much clearer up close.

Her jacket, boots, gloves and belts are missing.

She's connected to a bunch of wires and there are scars and burn marks on her cheeks. A tube is up her nose because of her very shallow breathing, and her wrists are cuffed to the bed.

"Is that really necessary?" I ask Chris. "She looks so...calm." I say.

"Don't be fooled Drake." Damian answers and I turn my attention back to the peaceful girl.

Dick pushes me forward towards the girl. "You go unmask her, cause I'm not doing it." Dick says.

I stand right next to her bed and Damian stands on the other side with his arms crossed.

I move closer to her as I feel the heavy silence in the air.

Up close, she looks kinda...cute.

She looks about only a year younger than me.

She has pinkish small lips and snow white skin. Her face looks flawless aside from the bruises and burns of course, and her hair is flowing at the side of her shoulder, looking silky, soft, and a bit wavy. Her bangs surround her head, and after all that's happened, her hair doesn't look tangled at all although it's still a bit messy.

She looks kind of like a pretty anime from a manga I saw in Fully Booked or something.

Her shallow, soft breathing makes me sway slightly as I move a bit closer to her, and I slowly and silently lift my hand and reach for her red domino mask.

**Damian's POV**

I can see Drake making a fool out of himself as he slowly reaches for the mask. It is already obvious that he is slightly blushing even under his mask.

He looks like a fool, as always.

Although I would never make a fool out of myself like he is doing right now, I wouldn't blame him.

Up close, with the light emphasizing her soft looking face, with her peaceful slight movements and without all that anger or rage radiating around her; making her look a touch terrifying.

She looks slightly, attractive...even with the mask on.

She looks about a month or so younger than me. She is probably my age...although I would never admit it, I can feel a soft warmness crawl up my cheeks.

As Drake reaches for the domino mask, we all watch intensely with the silence hanging in the air.

I wouldn't be surprised to see bright shining blue eyes much like Carter's opening and looking right at me once the mask is off her face.

I imagine a soft smile on Phoenix's face aiming right at me.

But I break out of my little fantasy when I hear a sudden hissing.

The white lenses on Phoenix's domino mask widens as all the tubes break and she swiftly grabs Drake's arm.

****Break****

**Bruce's POV**

"Leslie." I say standing up.

Alfred and I have been waiting for hours in the waiting hall when Jason was being operated on.

Alfred stands a few paces behind me, keeping his usual straight face.

"What are his injuries?" I ask her and she sighs taking out her glasses and rubbing the lenses. She puts the glasses back on and gives me a sad look.

"He has second degree burns, a fractured skull, four broken ribs, a twisted right arm, a left dislocated shoulder, a fractured wrist and ankle, his knee caps are slightly cracked, and a punctured lung...but you're lucky Bruce. If you weren't able to save him from the blast that you told me about then he would have died."

I have to thank Phoenix for that later.

"We cannot allow visitors in yet...he's going to need a lot of rest Bruce."

"How long will he be staying?" I ask

"I'm not sure yet. But he's not going to wake up anytime soon."

I nod. "Thank you."

She nods and gives me a sad tired smile. "Anything, I remember him...when he was still a boy. How could things go from bad to worse, Bruce?" She asks.

"That's a question lingering in my mind as well Leslie." I say.

She sighs heavily and leaves just like that.

I close my eyes for a second. Then my phone rings and I pick it up.

"She got away." Dick's voice says from over the phone.

"Is everyone alright?"

"Yeah, but now I've got a large bump on my head from hitting the ground too hard." Dick says.

"Surprisingly, she left without a fight. Somehow, she was able to get Tim in a lock and, well, that's all I remember. She just drove away."

"You shouldn't have underestimated her." I say

"Yeah, well, we got a DNA sample. The computer's still analyzing it, and it's almost done."

"Okay, that's good." I say. We'll figure out her identity later on.

"Is Jason-"

I cut him off. "I don't know Dick…but stay with your siblings, okay? We'll figure this out later on."


	14. Memories

**Chapter 14: Memories**

**Alfred's POV**

My light footsteps echo in the empty hallway as I walk towards Master Tim's room. I hold onto a silver tray with a plate of cookies that he politely requested for.

I walk into his room, his door is wide open for me to enter. Master Tim seems to be busy with an essay.

"Hey, Alfred." He greets, dropping his pen and looking my way.

"Good morning, Master Tim." I put down the plate of cookies on his desk right in front of him.

"Thanks Alfred." He says

I nod, and I start to head towards the doorway.

"Alfred?" He stops me. "Is...is Jason going to be okay?" He asks sounding rather worried.

I turn and put my hand on his shoulder. "Only time will tell Master Tim." I say.

He seems to ponder for a while and then he soon nods. "Okay..." He says

I turn and leave his room.

I continue to walk down the empty hallway, and I take one quick glance at Master Jason's old, empty, locked room.

I remember rather loud music blowing from behind the door. I recall the slam of this door whenever he and Master Bruce disagreed with something.

I walk down the steps as I listen to the laughter of a memory.

I cannot forget Young Master Jason's enthusiastic laughter as he slid down the railings on his two feet. His smile widened once he flipped and landed on his two feet at the bottom of the stairs.

"Young Master Jason, how many times do I have to tell you?" I recall scolding the boy.

"Sorry Alfred." He apologized.

"Come now." He ran next to me and we walked towards the kitchen.

"Can I help you wash the dishes?"

"Of course." I remember walking to the kitchen, and the memory fades away from my sight.

I walk towards the kitchen and take a seat by the kitchen table and I take a look at the picture of Young Master Jason when he was only twelve years old.

His grin was wide as he was holding onto Bruce's hand. In the background was the old pier that closed down after a murder was witnessed at that very place only three or two years ago, if my memory serves me right.

I let out a slight sigh.

I can never forget how Master Jason always spent most of his time helping me with the chores. Sometimes he would spend his time with me just to have a conversation.

He was and always has been a grandchild to me.

I remember...when I was sitting in this exact place when Young Master Jason peeked in through the kitchen doorway, and he asked me:

"Alfred? Am I allowed to play the piano?"

"Of course."

He seemed to almost jump up as a grin was plastered on his face. He ran towards the piano.

When I was drinking tea at this table, I listened to him play the piano. It sounded beautiful...he was a talented young boy.

He wasn't bragging, but he told me that his mother used to play the piano, and he could learn how to play a song just by listening to it.

I wonder if he still knows how to play the piano after many years.

I still remember how distraught this family was when he...passed.

He was only a young boy then, only a fifteen year old child.

How Master Bruce was forced to bury his own son, and how I had to clean the wounds and the uniform of my grandson.

None of us would be able to relive that moment.

****Break****

**Chris' POV**

"No match." Dick says staring at the screen with his hands on his waists.

"Are you sure?" I ask.

He nods. "We've re-checked like five times...her DNA doesn't match anybody's..."

"But how? Did you check Autumn Cross'?" I start to type rapidly on the computer.

"That deceased girl? Yeah, but Autumn Cross has no DNA data on file."

I sigh. "But that's not fair. We had her! We had her DNA!" I complain.

"Search Todd's DNA. Try matching it with Phoenix's." Damian says as he walks in.

"Okay."

Two separate pictures of The Red Hood and The Phoenix pops up.

"Start analyzing their DNA." Dick says to the computer.

As the BatComputer starts to analyze, I'm pulled into a memory.

I was at the orphanage, watching another orphan girl get adopted.

"Can I call you daughter now?" The woman asked.

"Yes, mommy!" The girl answered happily as she hugged her new mom.

I remember tears at the edge of my eyes...waiting for someone to adopt me, wondering if anyone even wanted me...asking why no one cared about me.

"Someone's gonna come." I mumbled.

A young girl about my age sat right beside me. "You still think someone will adopt you, huh? An ally of mine once said...don't get your hopes up." The girl said.

I scowled without so much as glancing at her. I wiped the tears threatening to fall.

"Go, get out! Go mop the mess hall!" I heard Ms. Blanchard say as she sat next to me.

I didn't take my eyes off the car that was driving away.

"Don't worry Chris, you'll find a family one day. But for now, I'll take care of you, okay?" She wrapped her arm around my shoulder and gave me a gentle squeeze.

I started to sob into my mother figure's shoulder.

She drew circles around my back and comforted me. "Shush." She said gently.

I'm pulled out of my memory when the analyzing ends.

I read all the info. "It says that their DNA is close..." Dick and Damian stare wide eyed at each other.

I look at them. "Well? Tell me what that means!" I say. Bruce still hasn't taught me everything (which I find super annoying) and I haven't learned this in school yet...

"It means...they're siblings." Dick stutters. My own eyes widen.

"WHAT!" I almost scream.

Jason has a sister!? No way! I don't believe this...

"I'm gonna go tell Tim!" I start running towards the exit of the BatCave. "TIM! TIM! OH MY GOD!"

****Break****

**Autumn's POV**

I shove my hands in my pockets as I walk down the sidewalk. I hide my face in my hood as I walk towards the hospital.

It's been three weeks since the incident. I've barely even recovered from some of my injuries.

I can hardly walk. The impact of the blasts...it was, painful...

When I woke up in the enemy's cave, I grabbed Red Robin's arm and I pressed a button on my mask.

There was a loud sonic screech that can mess with the minds of humans. So when they were all holding their heads in pain, I got my motorcycle and I drove out of the cave as fast as an injured person could.

I headed towards Eliza May's clinic first. She forced me to stay there for at least two weeks to recover.

I would NOT stay in enemy lines, even if it was my life or my death.

I'm still trying to recover until now.

The house has been quiet lately...it's soooo boring.

I'm going to visit Jason for the first time because this is the only time I've got to visit him because his entire damned family is standing outside his room 24/7.

I pass by the large glass window of a store, and I stare at what's displayed behind the window.

It's a little teddy bear that I wanted before.

I remember standing at this same spot staring at the little toy. My dad stood behind me staring at it with me when I was about two years old.

I look down, right beside me and I can see the past.

The little two year old me holding onto my dad was staring at that same teddy bear. The two year old with cute little pig tails in her hair pulled at her dad's shirt.

"Daddy, can I have that...please!" The two year old pleaded.

Her father looked at the toy with her. "Alright, but not today, okay? Maybe next time." He said putting his hand on her shoulder.

She nodded and they both walked away as the little girl still stared at the toy.

I look back at the bear. That little two year old was me...I wanted that toy when I was younger.

I never got it...Dad forgot about it...he never gave me the bear, he never remembered it. But I never forgot about the toy that I wanted and I asked myself from time to time when he was going to finally give it to me.

But he always forgot about it, and I tried to remind him, until the day he died.

I turn my head and continue walking towards the hospital.

I walk through the doors...I can hear wailing and crying, I can smell tears and death, I can see many men and women crying for a family member or a friend of theirs that seems to be dying. They all look like hopeless ghosts searching for light, searching for answers.

I never like hospitals, even before that most traumatizing moment...

I just hated hospitals, no matter what. Hospitals became one of my fears.

I walk down the hall, towards the elevator. I glance at one room...the door seems to be slightly opened, and inside the room, I can clearly see a long table with a dead body covered in a ghost white sheet. A woman seems to be crying, kneeling on the ground next to the body.

In my mind, the woman becomes a young eleven year old with teal green eyes and her hair tied but still resting on her shoulder.

The dead body becomes bloodier and smaller.

The eleven year old kneels beside the table, her head leaning on her arm as she cries by the table and holding onto the hand of the boy under the sheets.

I sigh. I close my eyes for a second and when I open my eyes, I can see the woman instead of the child crying in the cold dark room instead.

I continue walking slowly as all these mourning people are walking and sobbing.

I look to my left and I see a woman crying into her husband's shoulder.

I look to my right as I walk and I see a child sobbing, crawled up by a wall right beside a certain door.

I look forward and I see the elevator open. I enter and as the door closes, I take another look at these people that look more dead than alive.

The elevator goes up and I look down.

I can say that I'm afraid of hospitals...because I am. I fear hospitals...if I was forced to go here, I would cry and run away.

Why am I here? For my brother of course.

But I still remember that traumatizing moment when I lost my little brother. I wonder, was he in pain when he died?

I'm afraid...but Ducra said..._Fear, is a useless emotion for you._

She's right. I wish to strike fear into my enemy's hearts, not grow it in my own heart.

If I am afraid, so what? I'll still have to face that fear one way or another.

Being afraid, is useless...the word itself is insignificant...it doesn't matter...

But then...why am I so afraid?

I walk down the hallway, to his room, and quietly, I open the door.

I almost close my eyes at the sight.

His face is wrapped in bandages, his arm is in a cast, his foot is elevated, there are tubes stuck down his throat to help him breathe, there are so many wires and machines connected to him that it makes me wanna pull them out.

I listen to medicine drop, and the pumping of oxygen in one of the machines, the continuous slow beeping of the heart monitor fills the room.

The light is dim, and the smell of medicine is present in the air. I move to the side of his bed.

Come on Autumn, keep in mind that it's still Jason under there.

"Hey Jase..." I start. "I can't stay too long, because well, your family's out there. Don't get mad, it isn't my fault." I pause staring at the heart monitor thinking that maybe it could go flat.

"It's been sooo boring at home...and quiet. I guess that's one of the reasons why I didn't go to that house when I was still on the streets about three months ago...because when there's no one else in that house, it feels...kinda sad. Also because the memories in that house...well, it sucks...I don't like remembering." I say.

"I'm slowly recovering from my injuries. Hey, when you wake up, remind me to tell you that I told you so. If I wasn't at the warehouse to at least get you out of the place then you would've died...again. Although...I wish I came earlier, I might have saved you and you'd still be okay...you wouldn't be in this hospital..."

I look down. "My injuries are pretty bad, but hey, you know me...pain is just pain...I've learned to live with it...physically..." I look back at his bandaged face.

"Dude, you have to wake up and get out of this stupid hospital soon, cause like...life is so lame. And if you die...if that monitor goes flat...and if you leave...I swear Jason." I clench my teeth to prove my point. "I'll seriously kill you. First I'll revive you, then I'll kill you...the third time. Got it!?"

I sigh. "I'm serious, don't die." I stand up and walk towards the door. I hold onto the cold doorknob, but then I take one last glance at Jason.

"I'm not kidding Jason. You have to get better." I say seriously and I leave.

****Break****

**Tim's POV**

"What, Chris?! Can't you see I'm trying to finish this five hundred word essay?!"

"IT'S JASON!" Chris says as she stumbles into my room.

I nearly fall of my chair. "What about him?! Oh my god Chris, don't tell me-"

"No, no!"

"Then what is it?!" I ask anxiously

"Okay, so remember Phoenix? Two weeks ago, we got her DNA right? We couldn't analyze it yet because she had time to add a virus to our computer, but don't worry cause we fixed it. So, earlier-"

"Wait, Chris calm down...I can hardly understand you!"

"Don't cut me off again!" She yells. "JASON HAS A SISTER! A BLOOD SISTER!"

"WHAT!?" I drop my pen and fall off my chair. Chris starts running down the hall, and I start running while trying to force myself to stand up.

We run to the BatCave, and I start reading the new info...

"No way..."

"We scanned it...and Phoenix's DNA has a very similar DNA to Jason Todd's and Sheila Haywood. But other than that, Phoenix has no matching DNA with anyone in Gotham. Her DNA is...different." Dick says.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"She is a meta, a powerful one." The Demon says.

"No one asked you Demon." I scowl. I hate Damian.

He rolls his eyes, and I move much farther away from him...until I almost hit the case.

I turn around and take a good long look at it...

Bruce always stares at the case...it's to remind himself of his greatest failure...he never really told anyone why Jason's his greatest failure.

Was it because he didn't train Jason well enough? Because he didn't save Jason the first time? Because he let this happen to Jason?

I wonder why Bruce never took down the uniform once he found out that Jason came back? Why does Dad keep on beating himself up with this case? Jason's already back...why is the tattered uniform still here to remind him of his failure.

I asked Alfred once. He only looked down sadly and I didn't push the question any further.

I look up at his uniform...I used to look up to the second Robin, the Robin that...died...he was my hero.

But when I found out that he came back, that he turned into a...a monster, he stopped being my hero. I didn't wanna turn out like him, but sometimes I ask myself...how does he feel about being...a monster?

Dick stands behind me. "He's not a monster you know." He says as if he was reading my mind.

"Then what is he?" I ask.

"WHO is he...he's our brother." He says.

I guess what he's saying is true. If he wasn't my brother then I wouldn't be worrying right now. If he wasn't anybody, then Bruce wouldn't be at the hospital right now, guarding his room.

"Why? Why does he keep this?" I suddenly ask, not taking my eyes off the case.

"Bruce kept the case because...because he said that "this" doesn't change anything at all." Dick says staring at the uniform with me.

I stay silent. I hear two more pairs of footsteps appear right by my side

The Demon is on my left while Chris is on my right staring at the case with me.

The four of us end up standing side by side staring at the case of our brother's old uniform.

****Break****

**Autumn's POV**

I sit on the edge of my bed changing the bandage of my ankle. It hurts just to move my ankle, and I think I've made the wound worse just by walking to the hospital.

It burns once I disinfect it, and it hurts even more just by wrapping it up in a clean bandage. I grimace at the pain, but I still stand up ignoring the stinging in my ankle. Slowly, I limp to the bathroom and take the sterilized needle and thread. I tie my hair and take a look at the scratch on my neck that I got from the debris weeks ago. It's opened again. I must have pulled the stitches.

I'm so careless.

I start stitching up the large wound, not even bothering to make it gentle. There's no point, it's still going to hurt anyways.

I finish, and I sigh. I stare at myself in the mirror. Mom used to say that I'm a pretty girl, I think she was lying thought. I'm not pretty...I'm the exact opposite.

Jake used to tell me that I was perfect.

But I'm not, I'm a failure, an insignificant child...when I told Richard that I'm nobody, it's true...I am nobody. I'm just a kid that failed everyone she cared about.

I limp back to my bed and lie down with my hands spread to my side.

This house has been so quiet.

I turn my head and look at my guitar leaning on the wall.

Maybe...I should play it, any song will do. No one is here to judge me anyways...

Nah, I don't think I should. I stand up and hold the guitar. It used to be dad's guitar...he never played it so he gave it to me.

I learned how to play it on my own. I searched how to play it on the internet, although I would never call myself an expert on music, I had a taste in music.

I sigh and let go of the guitar and walk out of my room.

I grab my jacket and three candles and I leave the house, locking the door behind me.

It's not too far from here.

I walk, I look up at the sky, and it looks like it's about to rain...I have to be quick.

I enter the cemetery...where THEY are buried. I walk to the west side of the cemetery. I walk pass by the stones.

I stop right in front of one stone.

_Ryan Cross_

_A father, a friend_

I stand above the grave for a while as I stare at his name.

I kneel down and start to light the candle with the lighter, and I stab the ground with the candle.

I stare at the fire, then I look back at the name. "Happy now, dad? You got what you wanted. Now I'm like you...cold, hard, angry, fearless, uncaring...stupid." I mumble.

"You know, I don't understand...why? Did you never want me? I know you never really loved me, that those smiles you gave me were fake...but sometimes, dad...I lie to myself. Thinking that you did care. That you did want me, that you called me your daughter." I chuckle.

"It's a stupid fantasy, I know...but hey, one can dream, right?"

I take out a box of cigarettes that dad used to own. I light it with the lighter that dad left in his study before he died.

I watch the smoke reach up to the heavens as the cigarette burns.

I close my eyes and stab the grass with the cigarette, and I wipe my hands on my jeans.

"I should thank you...if you and Sheila could have kept your hands off each other, then I wouldn't be here. But then if I wasn't born at all, then maybe I wouldn't feel insanity at all either!"

I blow the light away.

I stand up. "Goodbye dad."

I start walking towards the north side of the large empty cemetery, stopping in front of two graves.

_Teressa Williams_

_A mother_

_Nico Williams_

_A son, a brother_

I kneel in front of mom's grave and light the candle with the same lighter and I stab the ground with the candle. I turn to the left and I do the same with another candle. I kneel in between the two graves.

"Hey Nico, how are you there in...Heaven?"

My little brother once told me that when I die, I'd go to Heaven.

"Is it fun up there? I'm sure it's better than down here."

The wind starts to blow and the leaves of the trees rustle. I can almost hear his laughter.

"I get it, if you don't wanna talk to me...I'm not the good sister you thought I was."

If he was alive, Nico would get mad at me just for holding onto a box of cigarettes.

"I'm sorry." I whisper. "For not being a better big sister, I wish, I died instead, I wish I got stuck in that crossfire with The Joker instead of you...I wish..." I trail away as the wind howls in my ear. I sigh. "Fine…"

I turn to my right. "Hey mom, I hope you're not sad anymore. I hope you're finally happy. Thanks by the way...for leaving me." I look at the grass.

"But it's okay...you never really promised me that you were going to stay with me. But hey, I kept my promise, right? I didn't leave you, up until the night that you killed yourself..."

Tears start to flow and I raise my head back at her name. My bloodshot eyes stare at the grave. "Why? Why would you leave, mom? I don't get it! Why did you give up? I didn't give up on you! Why did you give up on life? I stood my ground. Even when you treated me like trash, I didn't fight back because I knew that it wasn't your fault! I stayed, even when you would slap me, or hurt me, or just forget about me. I never forgot about you mom! I kept on reminding you!" I quietly yell.

I look back down. "You took care of me...so I thought that maybe it was my job to return the favor." I whisper, as tears fill my eyes.

"I didn't leave, no matter what...I promised you, that I wouldn't...but why did you leave me all on my own?" I start to hold my necklace as I kneel.

The grass starts to move and the wind blows my hair as I let the tears drip down my cheeks.

"Did you really hate me? If you did, then why did you take me in? I don't understand mom...I...I wish you were here...then maybe I'd know what to do... Mom, my older brother might meet you soon...and I don't know what to do if he did leave...if another person that I care about left me again...maybe if you were here, you'd make me feel better, maybe you can tell me what to do... I just wish you were here, mom...you don't need to do anything...just be here, like you always were...mom I...I miss you." I wipe the tears with my sleeve and I stand up slowly.

I look at the grave of my mom. "Happy Mother's day…" I turn around and walk away.

****Break****

I lift up my guitar, and I sit on my bed.

I tune it first and I start to play my favorite song. It's called Shattered by Trading Yesterday.

**A/N: If you guys don't know that song then we suggest that you guys listen to the song while reading this.**

The song starts slow...but this song, it reminds me of a lot of things...it always somehow brings back memories to me.

The songs starts out slowly. "_Yesterday I died, tomorrow's bleeding. _

_Fall into your sunlight. _

_The future's open wide, beyond believing. _

_To know why, hope dies._ "

I'm pulled into a memory as I play the guitar.

"Go! Get out!" Mom's voice echoes in my mind.

She threw me out of the apartment and shut the door.

"_Losing what was found, a world so hollow. _

_Suspended in a compromise._"

I banged on the door as it started to drizzle, tears ran down my cheeks. After a while I gave up and I sat on the steps, crawling up into a ball...not letting out a sob.

"_The silence of this sound, is soon to follow. _

_Somehow, sundown._" I sing

All I heard was the light splashing of water as it drizzled.

"_And finding answers. _

_Is forgetting all of the questions we called home._"

After hours of waiting in the rain, I got my paperclip and opened the door. I went up in the dark, and I walked into my bed even if I was still wet.

Then, that memory gets replaced by another memory.

I watched my brother get buried into the ground. I hugged my mom's dead body as blood spread all over my shirt and pants.

...I remember

"_Passing the graves of the unknown."_

Another memory hits me.

I was in the orphanage...watching a girl get adopted with another girl crying right beside me. She was waiting for someone to come and get her. I didn't bother to comfort her.

Later on, I watched as that girl was adopted by Bruce Wayne.

In that orphanage, I thought that maybe someone would adopt me too.

"_As reason clouds my eyes, with splendor fading. _

_Illusions of the sunlight._"

But I was just lying to myself.

"_And a reflection of a lie, will keep me waiting. _

_With love gone, for so long._" I sing as my eyes blur with tears.

I remember the war… The hope of winning it was all I had left.

"_And this day's ending._"

My comrades and I stood in a line, our backs straight and our arms at our sides.

We had to stay in that position as the commander yelled in our faces to see if we were tough enough.

"_Is the proof of time killing, all the faith I know_. "

I passed all the tests and in no time...I went back to killing the enemy.

I was a monster, a monster with only a little faith left.

"_Knowing that faith, is all I hold_."

I remember crashing to earth in that escape pod.

Crying out for my dad and mom.

Wishing for a hero to come and save me.

But no one came to catch me.

The music becomes louder and faster.

"_And I've lost who I am, and I can't understand. _

_Why my heart is so broken, rejecting your love, without, love gone wrong, lifeless words carry on._"

And so I broke…into millions of pieces.

"_But I know, all I know, is that the end's beginning._"

Now...I only have a little faith left.

"_Who I am from the start, take me home to my heart. _

_Let me go and I will run, I will not be silent. _"

Until now, I wait for anyone to come and fix me.

"_All this time spent in vain, wasted years, wasted gain. _

_All is lost, hope remains, and this war's not over._"

I still try and hope...I think that one day, I will be fixed...by someone…or maybe I can fix myself.

"_There's a light, there's the sun, taking all shattered ones. _

_To the place we belong, and his love will conquer all._"

I can fix myself. I can face this on my own, like I always have. I know there's still light...I just need to find it.

"_And I've lost who I am, and I can't understand. _

_Why my heart is so broken, rejecting your love, without, love gone wrong, lifeless words carry on._"

"_But I know, all I know, is that the end's beginning. _

_Who I am from the start, take me home to my heart. _

_Let me go and I will run, I will not be silent. _

_All this time spent in vain, wasted years, wasted gain. _

_All is lost, hope remains, and this war's not over. _

_There's a light, there's the sun, taking all shattered ones. _

_To the place we belong, and his love will conquer all. _"

I let the small tears fall.

"_Yesterday I died, tomorrow's bleeding…fall into your sunlight..._"


	15. Out of My Mind

**Chapter 15: Out of My Mind**

**Damian's POV**

Finally. School is over! I don't understand why Father sends me to this wretched school. We are told what to wear, we are told what to do, we are told what to say...damn people we are not your slaves! I don't understand why Drake and Carter seem okay with going to this prison every day…

I'm waving goodbye to these random people who keep saying "Bye Damian! Have a great summer!" in this sickening tone that's super happy-go-lucky. I have enough of that at home with Grayson...

The best part about all this is that I get to go out on patrol every night! Father is always so strict and saying that "we can't go out on school days because we need our sleep and we have to do our homework." Carter has to stay home too, so at least we have that.

But now...we have more time to visit Todd in the hospital. I don't know why Father insists that someone should be in his room at all times...and since I'm free during the day, Father is making me take a "shift" with Todd...ugh.

Carter is lucky...she apparently can't visit Todd on her own because Father suddenly became even more overprotective. She gets to go through intense training with Father and take lessons on skills she's lacking at...lucky.

Todd's been in the hospital for five weeks now.

There have been no signs of Phoenix lately, well...at least we know that she's his sister. I still have trouble believing it...but how are we going to figure out who she is? Carter keeps insisting that this girl is Autumn Cross, but we don't have any way to prove it. Besides, Carter's judgement is probably clouded because she seems to have a really serious grudge against Phoenix. Speaking of which...

Drake and I are standing outside of the car, waiting for Carter. I'd wish she'd hurry, or else I will end up punching Drake in the face and slamming him into the car (not that I don't want to). Damn I hate him so much.

Just his presence next to me irks me. When Carter finally appears, I'm relieved. I want to go to her just so I have an excuse to get away from Drake (I'd go into the car but Drake is leaning right in front of the door and Carter has dibs on the front seat) but she's surrounded by a bunch of her friends, including this one guy who she is unusually close to in the group. Carter notices us, says one more thing to her friends, and walks in our direction.

"Hey guys! How was your last day of school?" Ugh..now she's in a happy mood. Too much happiness...

"Fine." I grunt.

"Nothing special really, although my teacher told me about this really cool experiment that I want to try out over the summer." Drake replies.

"You're such a nerd." Carter says while rolling her eyes.

Once Alfred emerges from the car, Carter pushes Drake away from the door so that Alfred can open it for us. Alfred closes the door once I get in after Drake. As Carter is getting into the passenger seat, a shout is heard from the crowd of students.

"We have to meet sometime over the summer okay!" I look through the window to see one of the boys in her group of friends yelling to her.

"Alright! I'll remember Tim! Email me the details!" Carter yells back.

As Alfred closes the door behind her, Drake speaks.

"You have a friend named Tim?"

"Yea, didn't I tell you that?"

"I guess I didn't bother to remember."

"Okay then..."

Drake is such an idiot. I can't believe I have to be squished in the back of this car with him for the next 30 minutes. Yay.

****Break****

I enter the elevator. I turn around and the doors closes. I take one last look at the mourning people that look much like a group of walking corpses.

Why must Todd be in a public hospital? Why didn't Father bring him to a much better looking hospital? If only Todd wasn't so critical, they could move him to Gotham General.

How can Father or anyone stay here for more than an hour?

The elevator dings and I step out. I start walking, keeping my chin up high as I walk. I am above all these people.

I make sure none of these people so much as lay a finger on me.

As I approach Todd's room, someone wearing a red hoodie steps out of the room and closes the door.

She seems to be a girl judging by the form of her body.

My eyes widen as she turns the other way.

"You!" I run after her.

She suddenly breaks into a sprint and starts running towards the other end of the hallway. No one else knows about Todd, so that must be Phoenix, his sister. I run after her, but she's quick. She suddenly turns left, and slams through the door of the fire exit. I run after her. She runs down the stairs with me at her tail.

"Stop!" I yell but she doesn't follow. Instead she continues to run.

I cannot see her face...her hood is covering her face.

She breaks through the door at the bottom of the fire exit and runs out. I chase her through the lobby as she maneuvers around anyone in her way. I, on the other hand, push them away from me so I can run after her.

She exits the hospital. I follow her outside but there are so many people outside the hospital that I can't find her. I look around the large crowd until I spot her, running away. I chase after her.

We run down the streets of Gotham. I wonder how her hood doesn't fall off with the wind blowing.

"I said stop!" I continue to chase her. She just runs and runs, I do not understand how she is this quick.

I push everyone out of my way. I don't take my eye off her back as she runs, I hardly even blink as I chase her. She suddenly takes a sharp turn down an alley and I follow. She jumps over the dumpster, then she turns to the ladder hanging on the wall and she climbs. I'm just below her. She tries to kick my face as she climbs up but misses.

We get to the roof and she continues to run away from me. I chase her. She runs to the edge of the building and doesn't stop when there is a large gap and she jumps and rolls on the other building's roof. I sigh and move back before I run forward and jump as well.

We run across the building and she jumps off the edge again. She positions herself into a torpedo and crashes through the window of the next building. I waste no time and jump in through that building.

The building is dark...there is that gross rancid smell, the walls look like their about to fall down on me any time soon. As I walk in the building searching for the missing girl, the floorboards creak with every step that I make.

I walk down the dark bedroom, to the hallway.

Suddenly an arm grabs my neck and starts to choke me. I lock her leg with my leg and trip her, but we both fall. She falls right beside me and we wrestle on the ground. It's really disturbing how the hood is still on her head...maybe she used some kind of clip to attach it to her hair?

We roll on the ground as she punches my face, and kicks my abdomen.

"Stop this now!" I grunt.

"I don't listen to kids." She growls.

"I am not a child!" I yell.

"Neither am I!" She yells back and punches my face. I hold my nose and she gets up and continues running.

I jump up and run after her as she heads down the rotting hallway. She crashes through the window and jumps out of the building.

I jump after her and we ended up in some sort of deserted street.

"Why do you never give up!?" I say. We stand very far from each other each in our fighting stances.

"Why should I?" She asks.

"We know that Todd is your brother!"

She doesn't seem surprised by this. "Good, I was wondering when you would figure it out. How can YOU, Damian, the son of Batman, not figure it out?" I clench my teeth. She sighs. "You foolish fools. _Don't be foolish, you foolish fool wearing the foolishly foolish clothes_."

I have you know that these clothes are rather expensive!

I cannot understand if this girl is educated or not.

"I wonder, is your father even proud of you? Or is he disappointed in you?"

"My father cares about me!"

"Well, good for you dumbass. That wasn't my question; do you wonder if he thinks about banishing you from his home because you are not like Richard, Tim, or Christine? Because you were trained by assassins before you came to him? Because you are much like Jason?"

"Shut up! Shut up!" I growl and I advance, I punch, and kick but she only swiftly dodges and doesn't fight back. I can feel her smirking under her hood. "Fight back coward!" I yell breathlessly, and I stop. She doesn't fight back...she's playing with my mind.

"Do you think if your "Father" even wanted you? Do you think that if he had the chance, he would just get rid of you? Because you weren't supposed to be in his life? Do you wonder if you'll mess this gig up? This hero gig? Do you wonder if one day, you might get your mentor killed?"

"I said fight back!"

I throw punches and kicks but she simply dodges. I can almost see her little smile with those pinkish lips.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. There's no need Damian, you're already beating yourself up." She mocks, and I stumble backwards and fall on my hands and knees.

She chuckles and I look at my palms. They're covered in dirt and blood.

I glance at the ground and see broken shards of glass all over the floor. It was probably from that glass window that we broke through earlier.

I stand up and clench my fists. "Why won't you show your face!" I yell at her, and I can see her smile under her hood.

"Where's the fun in that? How can I play with your minds if you all know who I am." She says.

My breathing slows down a bit. "I know you." I blurt and I can see her smile break into a grin. "Yea, you do. You're just having a hard time remembering Dami." My eyes widen, and she turns around and starts walking away.

I clench my teeth and run after her. She breaks into a sprint and turns to the very dark alley. Once she makes the sharp turn, I catch her hood and pull it down.

Black flowing hair touches my nose. It looks shiny up close and my eyes widen as I feel one strand of it.

At the end of the alley is complete darkness. She runs into the darkness with her dark shiny hair covering her face and disappears into the shadows.

She's gone. Swallowed by the shadows. Leaving me with my slightly bloody hands and wide eyes...that soft feeling of the touch of her hair.

"Wow." I gasp and turn around. I start walking to the hospital like a wide eyed zombie. I look down at my hand and rub my fingers together trying to feel the feeling of her soft hair earlier.

She called me Dami, like that girl that I knew before...she seemed happy but serious, she was soft and loving but still had that scent of death surrounding her, the girl that I trained with for fun, that always beat me in chess, and that liked to play with me from time to time.

I can no longer remember her face, but I never forget names.

Her name was Autumn Cross…

****Break****

**Chris' POV**

6:47. I should probably head down to the BatCave now and get ready for patrol. I'm so happy that it's summer!

I open the door and find Damian standing right in front of me. He's covered in sweat and he has blood on his hands.

"Oh my God...Damian what happened to you? Did you kill someone?!"

"What? No! You're right." He's out of breath. He isn't supposed to be back from the hospital yet, so what was so important that he had to run back? And he isn't making that much sense. Didn't he just say that he _didn't _kill someone, and now he's saying I'm right? What?

"Right about what?"

"Autumn Cross...I don't know how, but I know that she's alive...and that she's Phoenix."

My eyes widen. How does he know? I rush out of the room and past Damian. I turn my head and my long black-brown hair accidentally brushes against Damian's face. Instead of him flailing his arms in front of his face, he just lifts one hand and lets my hair flow through his fingertips.

"What the heck was that for?" I ask him as we run down the staircase.

"Nothing...your hair just feels...familiar. It's soft and silky."

Since when does Damian care about hair? He's acting really weird...it's freaking me out.

I burst through the study and Damian rushes past me. He opens the door to the BatCave and we run in. Bruce and Dick are mumbling to each other while Alfred is inspecting the BatMobile. Tim is nowhere in sight. When Damian and I reach the bottom of the stone steps, all heads turn to us. This time, my little brother beats me to the chair in front of the computer and takes a seat. Damn. We always race to the chair because it's the only one in here.

"Master Damian, what are you doing here? I was just about to go and pick you up from the hospital."

"Sorry Alfred, but I had to get here as soon as possible. Could I get some bandages please?" He says as he holds up his dirty, bloody hands. Everyone stares at him in horror, but Alfred calmly leaves to get some bandages.

"Damian, what did you do this time?" Bruce asks in an unpleasant voice.

"Nothing that would upset you..." At that he pauses for a second, and then he continues. "When I arrived at the hospital, a girl exited Todd's room. I couldn't see her face because she was wearing a hoodie. The only other person who knows about Todd is Phoenix, so I chased this girl down. We fought for a bit, but I wasn't able to unmask her. I was only able to feel her dark black hair when I removed her hood. As for the blood, I put my hands on some glass shards." Suddenly, he looks down and whispers, "Sorry for disappointing you Father..."

I look at him wide eyed. Why is he apologizing? It's not like he didn't do anything to stop the girl. I can't blame him, though, for being upset. Phoenix made me feel helpless, too.

"You didn't disappoint me. You tried your best. Now go change." Bruce orders. I would've said a little more, but this is Batman...he isn't an expert on human emotion...

"Wait! That's not it! I didn't unmask her, but I know who she is..."

"I'm not the only one who thinks..._knows..._ that Phoenix is Autumn Cross." I butt in.

"You don't _know _that she's Autumn Cross, we can't prove it. And how would Damian know that the girl he was chasing is Autumn Cross? He said it himself...he was only able to feel her hair." Dick interjects.

"Yes but...she talked to me. She called me Dami... I only know one person who calls me that...the girl I met many years ago. And I _know _that her name is Autumn Cross."

Everyone is silent. Damian is looking at his bloodied hands while Bruce, Dick, and I are all staring at him. The silence is broken when Robin comes out of the changing area.

"Why is everyone staring at The Demon? I bet he killed someone."

Bruce turns his head and glares at Tim, but I smirk. Sometimes I forget how much alike I am to Tim. Now that I think about it, I have a lot in common with everyone in my family.

"Well, were you able to put a tracker on her?" I ask Damian.

"Ummm...no. She kinda said a few things that dazed me a bit..."

"It's alright. She did the same thing to me. Just try not to let her get in your head..." Then I lower my voice, "...like she got into mine."

The fight that I had with her in that abandoned building...I think about it every night...right before we go out on patrol...right before we crash through a window and beat up thugs and criminals. I could lose my family at any moment. They could leave me alone in this jacked up world.

Family only exists for the people that have it, and when Bruce, Dick, Tim, Damian, and maybe even Jason die, I won't have it anymore. I'll lose my family...just like I lost my family before.

I don't want to go back to thinking that no one loves me, that no one cares about me anymore... When Phoenix and Red Hood nearly killed my family, I thought I was vengeful only because I would lose the people that I love...the people that love me.

But now I realize...it's because if my family died that day...I would've lost everything...

Family is everything to me.

Bruce interrupts my train of thought. "Chris and Damian, go suit up. Dick, while we're on patrol you go to the hospital and check out the security tapes while Tim looks for anything different in Jason's room. I'll go on regular patrol with you two." He says while pointing to Damian and me.

As Dick and Tim hop onto their motorcycles I tell Dad, "You can go ahead. We'll meet you on top of Wayne Tower."

He searches my face...he's trying to figure out what I'm up to just by looking at my expression. Well, I've had a lot of practice keeping a straight face. After a few seconds, Bruce finally speaks.

"Alright, but hurry up." And with that, he hops into the BatMobile, and the three of them exit the cave.

"Okay...what do you want?" Damian says. I'm surprised he isn't wearing an exasperated expression. He's just keeping a straight face.

"What did Autumn say to you?"

"Nothing of importance."

"I'm serious. She probably said something that's messing with your head."

Damian sighs. "She asked me if Father really cares about me. She asked if he would banish me from here if he could...if I might one day mess up and get Father killed."

Oh my poor little brother!

He knows that Dad really cares about him and that there's no way that we would ever kick him out! And we've all learned by now that Batman is indestructable... Even if he did mess up, Bruce would forgive him.

I have to stop Phoenix before she gets into everyone's heads. If she gets into Bruce's head, who knows what he'll do.

I would've hugged my little brother, but I'd probably die in the next minute. Instead, I put a hand on his shoulder.

"Shut her out. Get those thoughts out of your head. If Dad didn't care about you, you wouldn't still be here. And there's no way Daddy would leave us all alone. Now c'mon. We'd better go."

I walk away from my brother to go and change.

****Break****

**Dick's POV**

Nothing.

I see her on the tapes, but I can't get a clear image of her face. I doubt that Tim has any luck either. All she did was stand by Jason's bed for a bit and leave.

"Anything new?" Tim comes over the com.

"Nope. Stay there until I finish hacking into the security system, then we'll head out."

It doesn't take too long to connect the security system to the BatComputer. When it finishes, I notify Batman.

"Batman, there's nothing here. We're heading out to patrol the area."

"No. You stay and watch Jason's room. Red Robin can go and patrol."

Haven't I babysitted Jason enough?

"Ok. Nightwing out." I disconnect the com.

I step over the bodies of unconscious guards and quietly open the door. This place is creepy at night...I wish this was Gotham General. I walk down through the eerie hallway and press the elevator button. The familiar 'ping' of the elevator echoes through the empty hallway and the doors open. I step inside, and the doors close right behind me. The elevator rises up through the building in silence. When I reach the third floor, the elevator stops and the doors open, and I find myself face to face (well more like face to chest) with a girl in a hood.

**Autumn's POV**

S***. Today was close. How the hell was I supposed to know that brat was coming to the hospital!? He's never been there before! Now is probably the only other time I can visit my brother, but turns out I was wrong! I was about to enter the room when I realized the door was slightly open. When I peered inside, Red Robin had his back turned and was looking at my brother. I'm surprised he didn't hear the elevator. But when I went back to the elevator, the door opened and Nightwing was standing there.

"You!"

Crap.

I turn around and start running. Nightwing chases after me, and he's actually pretty fast.

"Red Robin! She's here!"

A few doors down, Red Robin comes out and stares at me wide eyed. Then he narrows his eyes and starts running toward me. This is gonna be fun.

Once Red Robin is close enough, I jump, do a flip in the air, and push off of his shoulders. I land right behind him and continue running.

I need to get them to split up... I turn on my wrist computer and I find myself staring at a map of the floor. This place literally is a maze. I just need to be careful which turns I take because I might end up getting myself cornered.

Suddenly, the lights begin to flicker.

Perfect.

**Tim's POV**

Great. A brown out. It's easy to maneuver in either the dark or the light, but not both at the same time! Damn. I can't tell whether or not the girl went to the left or the right.

"Split up!" Nightwing shouts.

I immediately make a left turn and head down the hallway. It's dark again. In the distance, I can see a faint light.

When the lights turn back on, I realize that the light is coming from the girl's wrist. I chase after her and turn into different hallways as best as I can.

After a few turns, I can't see her anymore, but I hear the sound of a door slamming nearby. I head to the door which I think was closed and cautiously enter the room.

What kind of hospital room is this?

There's no TV, no window, no hospital bed, nothing, except a tiny lightbulb hanging from the ceiling. The lightbulb stops emitting light, and I am immersed in darkness. To avoid having it turn on again and altering my vision, I throw a batarang at it.

The lightbulb breaks and sends small shards of glass onto the floor.

"Wrong choice." A voice behind me says as I'm pulled into a chokehold.

I grab her arms and flip her over. She lets go and flies into the darkness, but I hear no thud, no sound, not even footsteps. It's as if I'm fighting the darkness itself.

"Show yourself." I try to command.

"Why? Can you not fight in the darkness?" Her voice is booming for a child. "I thought all bats and birds are blind, considering none of you can see the truth. Or are you different Timothy?"

Suddenly, I feel the heel of a shoe connect with my rib. I try to hit her, but I only touch the air.

"I mean, you are different right? You're not as great as your predecessors were, now were you? You will never reach up to Grayson's level. I'm sure the reason why Batman took the Robin away from you was because you weren't good enough!"

"No!" I kick the shadows, and an elbow connects with my nape. I try to hit the girl that is supposedly standing behind me, but there's nothing there.

"Don't bother denying it Drake. Batman replaced you with a better Robin because you weren't good enough! You're weak."

"NO! THAT'S NOT TRUE!" I cover my ears like a kid, but her voice continues to boom.

"You should just give up, Drake! I don't understand why you continued this! You will never be good enough!"

I take a hit to my jaw and to my forehead. I try to kick her with all the willpower I have left, but she strikes my hip and kicks my spine.

She grabs my head and makes me bend down. Her knee connects with my forehead and I fall limply on her hands. She hits my chest and I can hear a loud crack. I grunt. She flips me over and I land on my back, grunting in pain.

I can hear very light footsteps approach me. I can feel her bend down, closer to my face.

I think she removed her hood because I can feel soft flowing hair touch my face.

I think we're face to face in the dark.

I think it's just my imagination but I can see bright, round, teal green eyes staring at my sky blue ones.

Her soft hair touches my face as she leans down to the side of my ear. "You're not a hero. You're just a fan that got lucky to convince Batman to make you Robin. But without Robin or Red Robin, you're nothing. Just a weak, smartass detective who can't even land a punch on a girl slightly smaller than him."

My eyes are wide as she lifts her head and takes a good look at me. I can see a small smirk on her face. She brushes her hair behind her ear.

Her head leans in closer and her soft lips brush on my cheek. I didn't think it was possible but my eyes widen even more under my mask.

She stands up and pulls up her hood. I hear the door close as she walks out, leaving me lying in the dark processing what just happened.

I touch my cheek with my gloved hand. Her soft and silky hair touched my cheek and her soft and warm lips brushed the same area. "Woah." I gasp.

My mind just broke in half. She just successfully messed with me.

**Dick's POV**

Where is she? Tim probably has her. I turn a corner and realize I'm wrong.

The girl is standing there, staring straight at me, not even moving...kinda like a wandering soul in a horror movie. The black hood over her head, covering her face, she reminds me of a younger version of Death. Behind her is a door. She's at a dead end. It looks like I have her, but I've had enough experience to know I don't. It could be the other way around.

I run at her, but she just backs up into the door and opens it, allowing herself to fall backwards. I run into the room after her. There's a tiny window on the opposite side of the room, allowing some moonlight to flow in. There's a small, poorly made desk on my left. There's a few of those breathing machines in the corner. I'm taking in the odd room when suddenly a fist collides with my cheek and I stumble away from the door. She closes the door and slowly approaches me. Only the light of the moon is lighting the dark, cold room now.

"What do you want?"

"What do you want?" She mimics in a cold tone.

"For you to tell me who you are." I narrow my eyes.

"But why would I do that?" She says as I try to punch her, but she dodges.

"Because we can't let you do these things."

"Oh Richard...thinking that you can stop me...thinking that you can change me, how foolish." She shakes her head.

"I know I can."

"No you don't. You're just afraid to fail."

"I'm not afraid of anything."

"You're afraid to fail, just like you failed your parents…" She smiles. "You watched them die. You witnessed them fall to their deaths, and what did you do?" She growls with that smirk still burned on her face. "Nothing. You just sat there and bawled your eyes out." She kicks my chest and pushes me to the ground.

"SHUT UP!" I can't show weakness...I can't let these tears fall.

"You're just like your sister...so touchy when it comes to the subject of your parents. I mean, you also failed her. Maybe if you did something...maybe if you told your parents about the conversation the ringmaster had with Zucco, they might be alive. Your sweet little sister Christine would have her family. You would have your family." She presses her foot harder on my chest.

"It's not my fault that they died."

"Maybe not, but you could've done something...anything...BUT WHAT DID YOU DO?" I close my eyes and remember the day that they died. "TELL ME!" I feel the warm wetness drip down my eyes.

"Nothing…" I whisper, and she presses her foot harder on my chest.

"You failed your parents...your little sister. What if you fail your family? What if they get in trouble and you don't save them...instead, you watch them die. What if your family dies because of you?"

"No, no, no, no!" I shake my head.

"Are still not afraid of anything, Dick?" She asks and lets go of me. She kicks my side and I grunt. I look back up at her. I can't see her eyes, but her wavy black hair is spilling out of the hood.

"Looks like you'd better call your daddy and tell him you've failed."

She kicks the side of my head and everything turns black.

****Break****

"Nightwing! Nightwing please wake up!"

What? Why do I hear Christine's voice? I slowly open my eyes and see Nightingale crouching over me and shaking my entire body. Batman is standing behind her, staring at me.

"Gale? What...what happened?"

"OH MY GOD YOU'RE ALRIGHT!" She says as she collapses on me and hugs me tightly. I groan when her weight presses onto my chest.

"Red Robin won't tell me anything. He just keeps touching his cheek and saying 'I'm a good hero, right daddy?' like a little kid. What happened?" Batman says, obviously irritated.

"It was Autumn..." At the sound of her name, Nightingale lets go of me and stands up next to Batman. "We ran into her in the hospital...Red Robin and I split up to go find her. I don't know what happened to him, but when I found her, she beat me up and said some things..." I pause... I just failed my family. They trusted me to find out what I could about this girl, and when I went face to face with her, I didn't get anything from her.

Autumn's right. I'm scared of failing everyone I love... I'm scared right now.

"Dad, did I fail you?" Tears are threatening to fall.

Both Batman's and Nightingale's eyes widen under their masks. I rarely cry out in the field.

"What did she say to you?" Nightingale asks in a stern tone.

"Dad, _did I fail you?_"

"What did she say to you, Nightwing?" Batman says in a very serious tone, but I don't care how serious he is. He needs to answer the question. I need to know...

"DID I FAIL YOU?" The tears are flowing down my cheeks and onto my suit. I don't know why I'm angry at him, but I am. I slowly push myself off of the ground. I straighten my back as best as I can and reach my father's height.

"Answer the question, Nightwing." Batman glares at me. In the corner of my eye, I can see Nightingale slowly backing away from me and hiding behind Batman's large figure.

"NO YOU ANSWER ME! JUST ADMIT THAT I FAILED YOU! THAT I FAILED ALL OF YOU!" Why do I want him to admit it so badly? Do I just need someone to tell it to my face because I'm having trouble believing it? Why do I need to be reminded that I failed? What am I trying to face? My thoughts are disoriented...

"You just messed up. You'll fix it. Now _what did she say?_"

"Guys we should probably go-" Nightingale steps out a bit, but I don't listen.

I punch Bruce in the face. I'm angry at him. I don't really understand why...

"Nightwing stop this. Now." Batman tries to order, but I ignore him.

"NO. TELL ME I FAILED! TELL IT TO MY FACE!" I bring my face closer to his, and I accidentally spit on him.

"Nightwing, listen to me. You're not yourself. Autumn said something and-"

"YOU LISTEN TO ME! I KNOW WHAT I'M DOING! THAT GIRL DIDN'T DO ANYTHING! I KNOW I FAILED. YOU JUST DON'T HAVE THE COURAGE TO TELL ME! BUT I'M TELLING YOU TO SAY IT!" My voice breaks.

"Nightwing stop!" Nightingale pushes me away from Batman and stands in between us. "You have to calm down. You're not thinking straight. Just-"

I pick her up by her clothes and violently throw her aside, too violently. She flies through the air and hits the cement wall harder than I wanted. I hear something crack and she falls to the floor, blood seeping down her forehead. Her eyes are slightly open, but she looks like she's blacking out.

OH MY GOD. What did I just do?

"Nightingale! I'm sorry!" I try to run towards her, but Batman steps in front of me. He's glaring at me really hard. I can almost see the fire in his eyes. His fists are clenched.

"LOOK WHAT YOU DID! YOU JUST HURT YOUR LITTLE SISTER! IF YOU HAD JUST CALMED DOWN AND ANSWERED THE QUESTION WE WOULD'VE AVOIDED THIS! YOU WANT ME TO TELL YOU THAT YOU FAILED! FINE! YOU. ARE. A. FAILURE. YOU JUST FAILED ME. YOU JUST FAILED YOUR SISTER. YOU JUST FAILED YOUR FAMILY!"

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean it!" I let Autumn get into my head... I can't let her get into my head ever again...not again.

"If you didn't mean it, then this wouldn't have happened." He sighs and whispers, "I'm sorry."

Then he punches me in the face and everything becomes black.

****Break****

**Tim's POV**

A girl kissed me...a girl actually kissed me...

I know it wasn't a real kiss...it was only on the cheek...but she still kissed me...

I know that I should be worried for Chris because the impact with the wall fractured her skull, and Dick just went insane back there, but I don't care.

A girl...a pretty girl...kissed me...

I still can't believe that Dick would do something like that! He injured his own sister! How could he and Bruce let things get so out of hand?

I'm at the med bay, standing next to where Chris is. It feels unusual...seeing Chris without an expression on her face. She's just lying here...expressionless...emotionless...

Now Autumn has been pushed aside and now I'm thinking about Chris. The day we first met...she was wearing a dirty, red t-shirt and ripped jeans. Despite her bad clothing, her black hair was perfectly straight and shiny. She looked so cute. I still remember the expression on her face when she entered the mansion: mouth open and wide, dark blue eyes. Then she looked at me and smiled.

"Are you my brother?" She asked in a really cute voice.

"Yea. How old are you?"

"Ten."

"Ha. Me too."

Then her grin grew bigger.

"Really? Yay!"

Then she looked up at Bruce.

"Thanks Daddy." Then she looked at me. "I've always wanted a brother."

I'm pulled out of the memory when Damian comes and stands on the opposite side of Chris' bed.

"I can't believe Grayson did this..."

"Me neither..." Why did Dick have to hurt her? She's my little sister too... Something suddenly overcomes me.

"Dick's dead." My voice becomes colder.

"No he's not. You're just saying that because you love Carter."

"Well, don't you want him dead?"

"I want him to pay for what he did, but I don't want him dead. He's still my brother. Besides, I don't love Carter the way you do."

"Are you saying that I have a crush on Chris?" I'm taken aback. How does he know?

"Well, of course you do. You're very obvious. Grayson thinks that your crush on her was only in the beginning, but I know that you still like her."

"Whatever. You don't know what you're talking about. You don't even know what love is."

"I know that I love Chris like a sister and not like some perverted brother."

"Sometimes I forget that even though you're only one year younger than me you know many more inappropriate words than I do."

Damian is disgusting. I have to get away from him now. I can't believe we were even able to have a conversation by ourselves without killing each other.

But really...I hope Chris will be alright.

****Break****

**Bruce's POV**

My daughter...Christine...

She's in the condition she's in because of my eldest son...Richard...

How did things get so out of hand? My son didn't fail me...I failed him. Maybe if I had done something different, he wouldn't have ended up hurting his sister...my daughter...

I also failed my daughter... I probably could've done something...anything. Because of me, she got hurt. Because of me, I had to carry her limp body down to the BatMobile with my two sons staring at me, confused.

Maybe if I had gone instead to the hospital to examine the security tapes or inspect Jason's room, then the girl wouldn't have done what she did to my son... Maybe I would've caught her and prevented all of this from happening.

And now, I have to face my son...the son that injured my daughter...

He's probably scared, shocked, confused...sorry...

But I don't really know what he's thinking, do I?

I stand in front of the door to Dick's room, not sure whether or not to turn the doorknob and face my son.

After what he did...I'm not sure if I'm going to lash out at him and end up hurting him...and I can't have that happen.

I know that he didn't really mean what he did, but deep deep down, I feel like he was controlling all of his actions, and that he meant to hurt his sister.

I can't do this...but I know I have to face my son.

I reach for the doorknob and slowly turn it. The knob clicks and I take a deep breath before pushing open the door.

"Dick?"

Oh no.

The room is completely empty. Everything is okay except for some ruffled bedsheets. And the open window, allowing wind to flow into the room and cause the curtains to wave in the air.

What has Phoenix done to my family?

****Break****

I shoot my grappling gun up to the Wayne Enterprises building.

Nightwing's somewhere up there, according to the tracker. If I'm not mistaken, he's with Phoenix.

I ordered my sons to stay in the cave with my daughter. I couldn't let them come, after all that this insane girl has done to my family.

I'm going to get Dick back, fix things, and throw Phoenix in Arkham. I don't care if she is Jason's sister.

Or if she is just a girl. I'm going to throw her in Arkham because of what she did to my family. She's already gone too far to come back.

I land on the roof of the high building and keep my grappling gun. I lift my head.

The first thing I see is my eldest son lying on the ground, his head looking up at the gun pointed at his forehead.

A dark figure stands over him. In my point of view, it's just a shadow. But I know it's a shadow of a girl. Too small to be a woman or a man, but obviously a girl with her built and her flowing hair.

The wind blows hard, and my cape flies to my side. The howling wind would have made me fall off of this building if I didn't know how stand my ground.

I move closer, and I can see her smile and words come out of her mouth. She grips the gun and points it to my son's head.

She's about to pull the trigger but then I throw a batarang at her hand and the gun slides on the cement.

She and Nightwing turn to me. Under my son's mask, I can see heavy tears already flowing. Dick is a grown man. It isn't like him to burst out crying like this, especially while wearing his uniform.

I can see a broken shadow inside him.

His face falls flat on the ground and he blacks out. Phoenix stares at me with clenched teeth. I ball my hands into fists.

"Hello, Batman." She says, and I grit my teeth.

"ENOUGH, IT'S OVER!" I yell over the howling wind. "WE KNOW WHO YOU ARE, AUTUMN CROSS. MIGHT AS WELL GIVE UP NOW." I growl.

"Over? But it's only beginning." My anger takes over and I run towards her.

I punch and kick, but she dodges and blocks with her arms and legs. As we fight, she moves backwards towards the edge of the building.

I head butt her, and she knees my abdomen. She kicks my chest and I stumble backwards. She moves forward and pulls out a long shiny knife.

She slashes and I dodge. She swipes her leg on the ground and stabs my cape into the ground. I try to punch her but my cape pulls me down.

"I always despised capes." She comments as she punches my face.

"I'm a skilled soldier, but Jason taught me many more things." I hear my cape rip as I punch her right temple and I stand up. She grabs her knife and does a backflip. She stands only a few feet away from me as she grips her knife and smiles at me.

She slashes and I dodge. She hits my temple with the butt of her knife and kicks my forehead. I grunt.

"You remember Jason right? The boy that you didn't save?" I punch her jaw and kick her chest. She slashes and the blade hits my arm, and blood drips down the deep cut.

I grunt and hold my arm. I glance at the blood, then I turn my head back at her. She stands up straight with her hair blowing at her side.

"The boy that you failed? That you didn't avenge. The boy that you let turn into...something else. As you and your damn family says, a 'monster.'"

I run towards her and I punch her in the chest. She flies backwards and falls on the floor, but she easily recovers.

"You think that the boy you knew was still dead? That nothing changed? Well, hey, open your eyes! He's right there...just down the block in that public hospital and guess what? He can die sooner or later! And you choose to go here and fight with me!? And look at your other sons! They're all broken...all because of YOU!" I clench my teeth and my rage takes over again. I punch and kick her until her nose bleeds.

She jumps and kicks, and elbows my neck. I almost forgot about the knife in her hand, but I remember it when it stabs my shoulder.

"Gah!" I grunt.

"YOU DON'T KNOW YOUR DAUGHTER! AND YOU CALL YOURSELF A FATHER!?"

She kicks my temple and elbows my chest as I hold my shoulder.

"A FATHER DOESN'T LET HIS CHILDREN BREAK, HE DOESN'T LET THEM DIE! A FATHER SHOULD DO ANYTHING TO FIX HIS CHILDREN, NO MATTER WHAT!" She screams in unison with the wind.

I stand up and punch her but I miss because of my injury. "DON'T TELL ME HOW TO BE A FATHER! WHAT RIGHT DO YOU HAVE!?" I yell back.

She flips back and moves away from my punches. "I have none...I am not your daughter. I do know how fathers are supposed to be like. I never really experienced it myself. But I do know what they are supposed to do, when they see their broken children...when they see their children slowly dying. They're supposed to show their children that they love them." Her voice is carried by the wind.

"ARE YOU SAYING THAT I DON'T LOVE MY CHILDREN?"

"No. I'm saying that if you do love your kids, you wouldn't fail them. You wouldn't call one of them your greatest failure." She says.

I narrow my eyes and run towards her. I grab her shoulders and flip her over. She hits the ground, but she quickly gets up and wipes her mouth.

She narrows her eyes under her mask. "You wouldn't make Red Robin feel like a weak replacement, like he is never going to be good enough in your eyes. You wouldn't make Robin feel like he will soon be abandoned and left to fend for himself. You wouldn't make Nightingale feel like she is still abandoned by her parents. You wouldn't make Nightwing feel like he's going to soon fail his family, like he is a disappointment. You wouldn't make Jason feel like a monster, like the Robin that shouldn't have been the "black sheep" of the family, like he's still dead." She growls. "You failed! AS A MENTOR, A PARTNER, AND A FATHER! UNTIL NOW, YOU ARE STILL FAILING WITH YOUR OTHER CHILDREN THAT ARE SLOWLY BREAKING!" She screams.

"SHUT UP!" I yell and kick her stomach and punch her face. I hit her temple and elbow her shoulder. I forget about the injuries as I add injuries to her. She grunts and grimaces but all this she simply takes in, like it's just a simple training simulation.

"GAAAH!" I growl in the wind as I punch her face out of rage.

She flips back and runs towards me, pointing her knife at my chest. She jumps and kicks my face. I almost fall but she grabs my neck.

I stare into the white lenses of her mask as she clenches her teeth in anger. She chokes me, but she doesn't burn me. I can feel her heavy grip on the knife as her shoulders tense.

She stabs me right in my stomach. "Aaaah!" I yell as my eyes widen.

Lightning strikes but there is no rain. I can see the bruises and wounds clearly on her face.

She pulls out the knife and I grimace in pain as I fall limply on the floor.

**Damian's POV**

How many hours has Batman been gone? Three, four hours?

I highly doubt that it takes that long to retrieve Grayson. I think he is in trouble, and this windy storm is getting very dangerous.

I sit right at one side of Carter's bed in the med bay, and Drake is on the other side of the bed looking rather dazed.

He looked like that much earlier, but he seemed to snap out of it for a while. But then after touching his cheek again, he went back to his trance.

He's been like that for quite some time now, which is odd.

His hand is on his cheek and his mouth is slightly open. He slightly sways in his seat.

He looks stupid.

"Drake, let's look for Batman." I say but he doesn't respond. "Drake, Batman could be in trouble." I say but he doesn't move.

Suddenly he mumbles something that his lips hardly move, but it's loud enough for me to hear in this silence. "She...she kissed...me..." This time, my mouth falls open.

I close it and speak. "What kind of imbecile would kiss you?" I imagine this girl to be some kind of...as they say "loser." Or maybe a smartass nerd like he is.

"She...she kissed me..." He repeats. "She's pretty..." I am sure that his definition of a pretty girl is, well...disgusting...

"Really? Who is she?" I pretend to care as I cross my arms over my chest.

"I...I don't even know what her real name is..."

I smirk at his insolence. "Tt, typical." I say. "Who 'kissed' you?" I ask sarcastically.

"It was just a light brush...but...woah..." Drake says, not even blinking.

I roll my eyes. "Does she have a name?" He slowly nods.

"We all know her." Now I'm curious and glance at Carter.

The only girl that we all know that could have kissed him is Carter, and I doubt he got her to somehow kiss him.

I look back at Drake. I think I'm only imagining it when his lips move to mutter. "Phoenix." My eyes widen and a lump forms in my throat. It's not possible...that an attractive girl like her would possibly kiss Drake even if it's just to mess with his mind.

"A...Autumn Cross...brushed my cheek with her lips." He says much clearer, and I swallow the lump.

He blinks himself back into reality. He nearly jumps out of his seat as his eyes widen. "OH MY GOD...I DON'T KNOW WHY I SAID THAT!" He yells, and Chris starts to stir in her bed. "YOU CAN'T TELL ANYONE I SAID THAT!" I close my mouth.

How can...? I don't...but... What!

I can't even finish my thoughts.

"I don't plan on it." I say coldly as I turn my head and cross my arms.

I look at Chris who is slowly opening her eyes. She looks at both of us with drooping eyes.

"Plan on what?" She asks quietly, as she tilts her head up a bit as best as she can.

"Nothing. Hey! Chris! You're awake!" Drake says.

She furrows her eyebrows and slowly tries to sit up. I help her by placing my hand on her back and gently pushing her up.

"You're acting weird." She says to Drake. Then she turns to me. "How long?"

"Well, I've been stuck with Drake for three hours...so..." I answer as she slowly shifts her legs over the side of the bed.

I turn my head back at Drake. "We should look for him." I say and he nods, putting on his mask. We walk to the computer.

"Look for who?" Chris asks, still sitting on the bed.

"Father. He's been missing, and he hasn't contacted us for hours. We couldn't leave the cave because he told us not to. He could be in trouble." I start typing on the computer and two green dots appears on the screen.

"Yeah, I started to worry a few minutes ago." Drake says.

"Yeah sure." A few minutes ago he was in his trance.

"He's on the Wayne Enterprises building with Nightwing." I say.

"Well then, come on!" Chris says. She hops off the bed, then grunts as her hand moves to her head. Drake and I glance at each other. He shrugs his shoulders, then we follow our sister to our bikes.

The two of us follow and hop onto our bikes and drive out of the cave.

****Break****

We get to the tower in no time.

The scene before us is horrible. Nightwing laying on the cold ground...Batman right beside him in a small puddle of blood...Phoenix standing above them staring down at them, smiling.

She looks at us and smiles. "Hey, and I almost thought you guys wouldn't show." She says, smirking.

She kicks Batman over and Father rolls with his face facing up and his arms spread, blood dripping down his abdomen.

Our eyes widen. "I guess you guys would need to save them now, right?" She starts to move backwards, still smiling.

"Robin, Nightingale go! I'll handle Batman and Nightwing!" Red Robin says running to the two limp bodies.

Carter and I run after Phoenix as she moves backwards to the edge of the building.

"Nice night for a chase." She comments as she backflips and falls down the edge of the building.

Chris and I watch her as she falls like an expert without a parachute. She lands gracefully on top of a lamppost. The post doesn't even move as she lands on it.

She jumps down to the empty road, but before she lands she pulls out a baton and the stick suddenly turns into a motorcycle in mid air. Once she hits the ground, she's already on her motorcycle driving away with fire lighting behind her.

Carter and I follow on our own motorcycles.

Her motorcycle is fast, but we don't take our eyes off her. She's not wearing a helmet, so her hair flows behind her as it slightly lights.

The roaring of our engines echoes through the dark streets.

She heads towards the bridge that's about to split up. She jumps over the gap of the splitting bridge and over the dark, dirty water. We follow after her.

She turns left down a narrow alley. The alley is very dark, but we can't lose her because dim fire isn't leaving her. She WANTS us to follow her.

We turn left, then right, then forward until she reaches a dead end. She drifts and stops. She's cornered by us.

She jumps off her motorcycle and smiles particularly at me. "Oh Dami, you here for more?" Her small pink lips move as she speaks.

"Enough! We know who you are!" Nightingale says.

"Really?"

"You're Autumn Cross." I state, staring at her, trying to look past the white lenses and trying to remember her face.

She shakes her head. "You may know my name, but you don't know me." I thought I knew her pretty well...when we were younger.

"Why are you doing this?" I ask.

She cocks her head. "Doing what, Robin?"

"This. Why are trying to destroy my family? Why are you messing with our minds?" I still can't forget what she told me awhile ago.

She shakes her head. "You really don't know me, Robin. Well, I don't think you remember anymore...after all these changes in life." She says.

"Tell me what happened to you Autumn."

She chuckles coldly.

"Nothing."

"You were kind, sweet, loving, brave...you could have handled anything and still move on like nothing happened. You used to smile everyday...you even asked me once if we could train together. Just for fun." I really wish I had said yes back then.

"I still am Dami, I haven't changed that much. You've just never met Phoenix before. Phoenix has always been a part of me...you've never seen her before. But something changed...and when that change occurred...Phoenix just broke loose because I let her." She says casually.

Nightingale and I narrow our eyes. "I've always been a killer Dami, you just never knew. I was taught the truth. I grew up with my eyes open, staring into that light."

"And so you became blind because all your life you have been staring into the bright light of the truth." Carter says.

"I guess you can say...that by staring straight into the eyes of the truth...it burned my eyes. But I never became blind like you heroes." She says.

"You all think that locking up these scumbags is enough, then you're wrong. When will you all wake up!? Open your damn eyes! Look at the truth! It may hurt at first, but you'll see! I've never closed my eyes, not once...I used to never understand the truth, but over the years... the years I spent alone, gave me enough time to reflect on the truth. I began to understand it."

"No, Autumn. What you're staring at is not the truth. It's rage." Carter states.

"Maybe so, but at least I'm not living a damn lie! Batman has been lying to all of you! Telling you that his way is the right way of justice...he's wrong! Justice exists, but that's not how it works."

Autumn has gone too far, I can't bring her back...no one can anymore. She's just like Todd. Father brought me out of that black hole months ago. Autumn...is hopeless. Whatever she went through, she's gone through it...and she isn't coming back.

I run towards her and start to attack. She holds out both her guns and start to shoot at us. I unsheath my sword and stop the bullets. I run towards her, and she slides backwards as she shoots us both. Carter and I dodge every bullet.

Phoenix moves to the left so quickly that Carter can hardly land a punch on her before she jumps over Nightingale and lands behind her. Phoenix kicks my big sister in the back before turning to me. She starts to shoot at me as she runs towards me.

I jump and slash at her. She moves to the right, but she isn't quick enough. My sword slices through her jacket, and some blood seeps through the wound.

"Ha." I'm slightly proud of myself, but I know that glory won't last long.

"That all you got?" She taunts.

"Hell no." I slash at her some more, but she keeps dodging my attacks. She kicks my stomach, and I stumble backwards. But I recover and continue to slash at her, she slides backwards holding her guns and shooting at me, she flips and shoots at me, she slides on the ground like she's ice skating. Carter suddenly jumps in from behind her, but Phoenix punches and kicks Carter in the temple and in the stomach, she grabs Carter's head and head butts her then knees her forehead, then she turns Carter around and elbows her nape and pushes Carter away for her to stumble away.

Phoenix moves to the wall and jumps off the wall and to me shooting at me with her guns, I take my sword and slash at her, then I get a lucky shot and kick her guns away.

She kicks me in the head, then turns and hits my leg, she punches my jaw. I hold my stomach and when I look up at her, she becomes surrounded by smoke. She released smoke bombs...why? Is she too cowardly to face me? Have I overcome her?

"Why are you so determined to get me?" Her voice echoes. It sounds like it's source is coming from the left, so I slash my sword in the that direction, but I only cut through the air.

"Is it because you don't want to disappoint your father? Because you don't want to end up alone and abandoned?" This time, it was behind me, so I swiftly turn around and slash my sword. Still nothing.

She's trying to mess with my head again... I won't let her...I can't let her...

"Because you're scared of messing up? You wouldn't want your father to get rid of you, now would you? Looks like you'd better catch me then, if you're even capable of catching a girl your age." Where is she?

Then, I feel soft, smooth skin touch my face as the soft and calm breathing whispers in my ear. "Would you really want your father to get rid of you?" She whispers. The hair on my nape begin to stand, and I can feel my heart in my throat. It's as if she's choking me with her cold whispers.

Suddenly, a hand rests on my shoulder. It's her! I stab behind me, but I still only stab the air.

"Robin! It's me!"

I turn and find Carter looking at me with relief. I'm not sure if she's relieved to see me sane or if she's relieved because I nearly stabbed her.

"Sorry. We have to find Phoenix."

"No, we don't. If we stay any longer, she'll continue to mess with our heads. We need to leave and get her out of our minds. We'll get her some other time. Right now, we have to help Batman and Nightwing." She narrows her eyes slightly, and she tightens her grip on my shoulder, as if she's afraid to let me go. Like she's afraid that if she lets go, she'll never see me again.

I guess that could be true. I could get lost in my mind if Phoenix successfully messes with it like she did with Drake. She would never see the real me again...

"Fine. But next time we find her, she's _mine_."

"Why wait when you could have me _now?_ C'mon Dami, you know you want to come and defeat me... You could bring me to justice, and your father would be so proud of you." Phoenix's cold voice echoes through the foggy air.

"Don't listen to her." Carter persists as she pushes me in the direction of our motorcycles...at least I think that's where they are.

"You won't win, Autumn. I will find you." I yell into the air.

Carter and I walk out of the smoke and we find ourselves next to our motorcycles. On the other side of the alley is Phoenix's bike. Somewhere near the tire, I see the familiar shape of a tiny bat and a faint red light flashing.

My sister and I hop onto our motorcycles, put on our helmets, and drive off into the night.

"You really think she won't see the tracking device?" I ask Carter as we are driving back to Wayne Tower.

"I dunno. Maybe. Either way, we'll end up finding her, even if she does set up a trap for us."

"True." I'm somewhat thankful for Autumn messing with my sister's head. Because of her, Carter has been able to resist her manipulation and has helped make us stronger against it.

I guess you could say she's the one keeping us sane.

**A/N: We hope you guys liked it, review please!**


	16. Mental Issues

**Chapter 16: Mental Issues**

**Bruce's POV**

"Master Bruce. You can have Master Dick train Miss Christine again. Master Damian and Master Timothy can track down Phoenix. Your injuries still haven't fully healed."

"I'm fine Alfred."

"I believe that you are not. You were stabbed in the stomach and in the shoulder. You mustn't strain your body."

"I need to find her, I need to stop her."

"What you need is rest Master Bruce." Then my two youngest sons and my daughter walks in the room.

"Yeah dad, don't worry, we'll take care of everything." Chris says putting her hands on her hips. "It's a good thing we weren't as injured as last time."

I look at the bandages around Damian's hands. "I swear when I find her-" I clench my fists.

"Master Bruce, that is enough." Alfred scolds.

"Yeah dad, listen to Alfred." Tim agrees.

"Where is Dick? I still need to talk to him about...two nights ago."

"He's at the hospital, covering his shift." Tim answers. I sigh and rub my face.

"Don't worry Father, I'll find Phoenix." Damian says sounding determined.

Chris puts her hand on Damian's shoulder. "We all will."

Damian turns to his sister and nods.

"But how? You already planted a tracker on her but it lead to a dead end!" Tim says sounding hopeless.

"Oh yeah, that's right. We followed the tracer but we found it in an alley. She didn't have any intentions of setting a trap."

"Give me a repost on her." I order.

"Well, after sometime, Phoenix came back. As in, she's on the move again. Trafficking is back up in The East Side, but crime is down." Damian reports.

"She's handling The Hood's drug ring again, and she's been sighted around The East Side lately." Chris continues.

"When are you planning on going after her?"

"We're not sure yet...her actions are somewhat unpredictable, and we were thinking we should let our wounds heal a little more."

"Okay. How about-"

I'm interrupted by my phone buzzing on my bedside table. I reach over and grab the phone. Dick's calling. I answer his call and press the phone to my ear.

"Yes, Dick?"

"Jason's gone."

My eyes widen.

****Break****

**Dick's POV**

I had been sitting in Jason's room, just staring at his unmoving face when suddenly his face twitched. His eyes had opened slightly, revealing his teal green eyes.

"Jason!"

"D...Dick?"

Oh my God! I had run out of the room and yelled for someone to get the doctor. No one had listened, though. Stupid public hospitals. I looked back at Jason. I guess it was okay to leave him. It's not like he could do much.

I ran out of the room to get the doctor. When I came back into the room with the doctor trailing behind me, Jason was gone. All of the medical equipment was on the hospital bed, but it's patient had disappeared. The doctor shouted to the nurses that there was a missing patient while I called Bruce.

"What do you mean he's gone?" Bruce's angry voice booms in my ear.

"I went to get the doctor because he had woken up, and when I came back he was gone!"

"Why did you leave him alone in the first place?!"

Bruce has been a lot harsher towards me lately...probably because of what happened two nights ago. For some reason, he still hasn't confronted me about it.

"I yelled for the doctor and no one did anything! What else was I supposed to do?"

I hear Bruce sigh over the phone. "Okay...we'll be there in a few minutes." And with that Bruce hangs up the phone.

Looks I'd better go looking for my brother.

Most of the doctors and nurses are probably looking for Jason on this floor, so I'd better look on the floor below us.

I'm running around, trying to find the staircase, and after two minutes I finally find it.

I rush down the stairs and find myself on a less frantic floor. I push past all of the people in the hallways mourning for their loved ones as my eyes dart across the hallway. I'm probably running around in circles, but I can't give up on finding Jason.

I've been searching for three minutes, and I still can't find him. Did he already leave the hospital? I'm sure people would've noticed a patient walking through the doors of the hospital. Then where is he?

I'm still running around the 2nd floor when something catches my eye. Near the fire escape, there's a girl wearing a black jacket that's way too big for her and denim jeans. She has hard teal green eyes, dark black hair, and pale skin. She's leaning out of the door and whispering something. It looks like she's talking to someone, but I don't know who. She turns her head and her eyes land on me. She lets out a small gasp, but she quickly turns and goes through the door.

She seems...familiar...

**Autumn's POV**

I was just about to visit Jason in the hospital when, on my way up the stairs, he came stumbling down the stairs looking like the zombie he is!

I'm just trying to get him out through the fire escape. There's no use in turning back now since Richard is standing in the stairway.

I try to carry Jason out, but damn...he's heavy. I really wish he wasn't so tall and big compared to me. Maybe, carrying him out would've been easier.

I stumble down the fire escape with Jason on my back. Why did he have to go and try to leave the hospital! Why didn't he just stay there? Gah!

"C'mon Jase! Help me out here! At least try to make yourself lighter!" I grunt, but he doesn't say anything. He only breathes lightly as he stares at my rubber shoes.

Finally, we get out of the hospital. All I need to do now is carry him through the streets of Gotham and back home.

Which will be easy cause, it's quite early in the morning and he'll just pass out as a drunkie seeking help from a kid to bring him home. The only problem is, he's wearing hospital clothes.

I take his arm and turn around. At least he's kinda standing...I take off my jacket and put it over him to avoid suspicions. Well, this isn't really my jacket, it's his. It's a good thing I thought of wearing his black jacket instead of my own.

I gently put his arm around my shoulders and I walk. His shoes rub against the sidewalk as I lug him around. I know this isn't the most comfortable position, but what choice do I have? I don't have my motorcycle, or a car, because the hospital isn't too far from the house.

I walk down the streets with him on my back.

"This is a job for Supergirl." I mutter.

Jason's only half awake, he's kinda walking as I help him...he really is like a drunk guy.

We stumble towards the clinic of Jason's friend. I hold onto Jason's arm. He seems like he's about to slip any second. I knock on the door. Please be home, please be home, please be home.

The door swings open and a woman holds the door as she stares at me.

"Oh my God! What happened?" She starts to take Jason, and together we help him to one of the beds in the small clinic.

"Sorry to bother you Eliza, but I was about to visit him in the hospital when I found him stumbling down the stairs. I would've brought him back, but it was too late. I was already spotted by his big brother." I explain as she checks up on him.

She nods. I walk towards the waiting area just by the main door.

I sit down and watch as Eliza stitches the wounds Jason pulled. I sigh, and a girl with short hair and hazel eyes about half my size sits beside me.

"Hey Autumn." She says.

"Hi Chloe." I say not looking at her.

"Mommy told me all about Jason. She said he is in pretty bad shape."

I nod. "Well she wasn't lying."

"Are you scared?"

I look at her. "Of what?"

"Of losing your brother?" She says looking down at her toy and fiddling with it in her hands.

I sigh and turn my head back, the curtains are now covering Jason's bed. "Yeah, I am." I admit.

"Mommy says that you shouldn't be scared. Jason is strong." Chloe says still not looking at me.

I look back at her. "I guess that's true."

After minutes of silence, Chloe's mom emerges from the curtains.

"Most of his injuries have healed. His stay at the hospital did him good but he's been dosed with a large amount of drugs so he will go in and out of consciousness for about two to three days. But other than that, it's nothing he won't heal from. I suggest that you won't let him go out yet for at least a week." She puts a hand on my shoulder. "Although, his mental issues have worsen." She says softly and I swallow and nod.

"Okay."

"I'll help you take him home." She says.

****Break****

I throw Jason his pants as he sits on the bed still looking like a zombie.

"Wear pants at least." I say and I turn around as he puts on his pants and a white shirt that I gave him.

I turn around and watch him lie back down. I sigh and take the hospital clothing and the black jacket.

I move out of his room and throw the jacket into the hamper and I burn the hospital clothes in my hands.

I move to the tech room just to find out what's going on over at the East Side or if I missed something. Nothing.

Suddenly, everything starts to turn red and black. My surroundings are just a shadow. My eyes widen as I float around the dark.

Then the scene changes. It's all hell...fire everywhere, the air is black, and it feels like it's stinging my lungs. Like I'm breathing burning fire instead of air. Ghouls walk around the black and crumbling ground.

The only light I see is coming from the lava, and the only sounds I hear are the screams of the souls.

I see people, white ghosts...bathing in fire and screaming to me for help, but they don't burn.

Then a girl, about eleven years old, emerges from behind me and passes right through me as if I'm not there at all.

I don't see the girl's face as she walks away. She doesn't look like any of the other ghosts, she looks more alive than dead. She's wearing a tattered red shirt and black jeans, and white rubber shoes as she walks.

Her dark hair is tied as she walks. She suddenly stops and turns her head and I take a good look at her. She's me.

When I was eleven. Her face is covered in dirt, mud, and wounds.

It's all a memory or a dream.

I didn't show any fear, but I was scared…

The eleven year old turns forward and continued walking. The ghosts pull at her leg and her arms. She has no weapon, no way to fight back. But she doesn't want to fight.

She just continues walking as the ghosts pull at her clothes and as they add more wounds to her face and arms.

I know she feels the stinging pain of the wounds, because with every cut, she tenses, but she doesn't care. She just keeps walking.

My eyes widen. "STOP!" I don't wanna remember this! I fall on my knees and pull my hair.

NOOOO, I DON'T WANT TO REMEMBER!

I listen the screams of the ghosts, and then I hear the fast footsteps of the girl.

I know she's running...from something big, something huge, something she can hardly imagine.

I open my eyes and turn around. I find myself standing in front of a giant. A disgusting giant.

It has huge arms and pale white skin. It has a mouth that's filled with blood, and sharp teeth as it smiles. He has no eyes and holes on his face for a nose.

He has six repulsive toes on both of his feet. He is very thin but very tall.

"Where are you, child?" The booming voice of the monster makes the eleven year old tense.

She stays still as the giant moves around looking for her. Soon, he comes face to face with the girl as he bends down to her height.

She nearly winces as he sniffs her and grins, blood dripping down his abhorrent teeth.

"I found you." He says, letting her smell his foul breath and she turns and runs towards the large pit of green liquid, ghouls try to make their way out of the pit but they can't.

The giant runs after her as they head towards the pit of ghouls.

"NOOOO!" I scream, yelling at the girl and holding onto my head.

But the girl doesn't listen and she continues to run.

Suddenly, she stops in between the giant and the pit.

The giant laughs. "Come to me, child." She shakes her head as tears start to form in her eyes.

"Come now." The giant gestures to himself.

But she shakes her head. "Why should I? You ate all my friends!" She yells.

"COME!" The giant yells, blood and saliva flies and hits the girl on her cheek.

She doesn't wipe it out. "I want...revenge." She clenches her fists as her face darkens. "I don't care what I have to do to get it!" She screams.

"YOU WANT ME? COME AND GET ME!" She jumps in the pit.

"NOOO!" And the giant follows.

The ghouls grab the girl's arm as she gets flushed into the pit of nothingness.

I collapse and cry as darkness surrounds me again. I wipe my tears and I stand up.

The loud fast beeping of a heart monitor starts the dream of the memory.

The same girl, covered in wounds and blood lies on a table connected to a machine. Many people surround her and watch her as she struggles.

"She's been asleep for three days." One of the women says.

"She's going to die."

"THAT'S WHY WE PULL HER OUT!" A boy says as he starts moving towards the wires but most of the men hold him back.

"No. That would be stupid. You can't just pull her out of the simulation. She'll die. We already tried that with the others." One of the men says, shaking his head.

Then the girl opens her eyes and sits up with wide eyes.

All of the men, women, and children's eyes widen.

The boy runs towards the eleven year old as she starts to cry. "It...it was just a dream!" She sobs into his shoulder as he hugs her.

They stay like that for a short moment until she lets go.

One of the counselors step closer. "No, it wasn't just a dream. Do you not remember? We wanted to test this new simulation, you and a few others volunteered. It went smooth at first...you were only supposed to find your way out and work as a team. But, something went wrong...a virus...entered the system...the giant in your dream. None of you were supposed to die. But the giant started to kill you all."

The girl's eyes widen. "The others! What happened to them?!" The counselor shakes his head.

"They died. Once the virus, or the giant, gets to you and kills you in the simulation...you die in real life. The machine is connected to your minds. Once you die in the simulation, you're supposed to wake up. But since the giant suddenly appeared, death became real to all of you."

"Why didn't you just take us out?"

"The virus...it corrupted the system. If we took you out then you would have died. I'm sorry, Cross. You were the only one that made it out. You all knew that it wasn't real at first, so you weren't scared. But when the virus entered...the fear, the pain, the wounds became real. Some of them died of the injuries that wasn't supposed to be real, and some died of fear, while some had their minds destroyed by the virus." The girl looks down at the wounds on her arms.

She cries again. "It's my fault...it's my fault...my fault…"

I look to my left and see a girl with pale skin, dark and short hair, walking out of the room with a smirk on her face. Ella.

The memory turns into nothingness again. I cry.

I blink my eyes into reality. I look around me and I'm back in the tech room. My arms and legs feel sore from sitting here, but how can that be? I've only been sitting here for a few minutes...right?

What's going on?

Did I just...black out? In the middle of working? I was just suddenly pulled into a dream...why is that?

I look at the window and see that the moon is up. How long have I been sitting here?

****Break****

**Chris' POV**

Why the hell would Jason even leave the hospital? Does he not _want_ to heal? I guess I shouldn't be questioning his actions that much...he _is _crazy.

But really, how was he able to leave the hospital unnoticed? I know the people of Gotham can be stupid, but I didn't think that they would be so stupid as to not notice a _zombie_ leaving the hospital. Maybe he got some help...

Things would be so much easier if Jason still had his tracker. Obviously, he doesn't. He was trained by Batman. The first thing he probably did after coming back to his senses is rip the tracker out of his arm (or wherever it was). Still...that's gross.

I don't know why Bruce won't report him to the GCPD. I guess it's partly because cops get in the way of his "work." But wouldn't having other people out looking for him make things easier? They might even find Autumn..well now that I think about it, more people could get hurt than necessary.

It's too late now. The hospital probably already reported Jason.

Earlier today, we all split up to go looking for Jason. We limited our search to a 4-mile radius because there's no way he could've gotten far. There were no reports of any cars leaving the area near the hospital. Yet, we still couldn't find him. It's so frustrating!

We've been looking for leads the entire day...well, more like _they _have. I've been relaxing and watching a Sherlock marathon all day.

The sun is going down and the sky is becoming darker...looks like it's time for patrol. I head down to the BatCave and find Tim and Damian already suited up. Damian has Tim in a chokehold. They are in the training area, but I've lived with them long enough to know that they aren't sparring.

"Drake, you're such an imbecile! There's no way that girl kissed you! You were just hallucinating."

"I was not! Why do you even have me in a chokehold? It's not like I stole something from you!"

"Yes you did! Autumn is mine! She was my friend first!"

"What?! You like her too? Well too bad! She kissed me, not you!"

"No, you dummy, but if I was there, she would have kissed me instead of you. I do not understand why _any _girl would want to show any affection towards you."

What the hell? Autumn kissed Tim? When did this happen?! Damian is jealous? Of Tim? This can't be right...

"WHAT?" I am so confused right now...

Tim and Damian look at me, and Damian releases Tim from the choke hold.

"SOMEONE KISSED YOU? AUTUMN KISSED YOU?"

"She didn't _kiss_ Drake. He claims that she simply brushed his cheek with her lips. That's not a real kiss." Damian crosses his arms as he says this.

"Damian! She's not supposed to know!" Tim yells.

"Well it's too late for that now isn't it?" Damian glares at Tim.

Those two might end up fighting again... but I still can't believe someone kissed Tim! Damian's right...it doesn't exactly count, but this is _huge _for Tim!

"HOLY CRAP A GIRL KISSED YOU! CONGRATULATIONS!" I can't help myself. I run at him and give him a big hug.

I'm sorry, but I'm a hopeless romantic.

"Umm...thanks. Wait, did you just say holy crap?"

"Yes." I don't care at this point. "Tim! I thought you had a thing for blonds! That's why I set you up with Tiffany in your class! You should've told me you were into black-haired chicks!"

I also love matchmaking. I should try matching Damian up with someone... I'd better not tell him though.

"Well, not really, but I guess Autumn's pretty... Could you let go of me now?"

"Oh yea, sorry." I release him from my grip.

"Tt, so what if some girl kissed him. It's not like she will end up marrying Drake. Why would anyone?"

"Damian..." I glare at him. I believe that everyone has a soulmate out there in this great wide world.

Yea, I really am a hopeless romantic...

"Where's Bruce and Dick?" Why is Tim trying to change the subject? Oh well...might as well let him. I don't want to overwhelm him.

"Dunno. Still upstairs. I can go get them." I rush back up the stairs and enter the house. I go up one more flight of stairs and open the door to dad's room. Empty.

I walk a few more steps and I'm about to open the door when I hear voices.

"Dick, we need to talk."

A short silence.

"About what?"

"You and I both know…"

I lean my ear closer against the door.

"Look, dad...I...I'm sorry...I don't know what happened. I just…"

"No...it's my fault. You didn't fail Dick, you never failed. I did. As a mentor, as a father...it's my fault."

"But...I did! My parents...my sister, you! What if...what if I fail everyone I care about too?!"

Poor Dick...

"That won't happen, son. You didn't fail. None of you did. I was the only one that failed. I failed you, Tim, Jason, Damian, and Chris. I'm not…"

Poor Dad... Everyone around me is breaking down.

"No, dad! I failed! Autumn was right!"

"No. You can't allow yourself to believe her, because once you start believing her...you're letting her win."

At least Dad is becoming stronger against her mental manipulation.

"But…"

"She's blind, Dick. Don't be as blind as she is."

"But, dad...I…"

"It's okay. Just listen to me. You didn't fail, you're my son, you're strong. And I'm...I'm proud of you, Dick."

I wonder how hard it is for him to say that phrase...I'm proud of you...I've only heard him say it to me once in my entire life.

"I'm sorry."

Silence. They're probably hugging or something... I can't wait out here much longer. Should I tell them I overheard the conversation, or should I just pretend that I just got here? They're having a father-son moment. I should just pretend I happened to walk in at this time.

I open the door. "Dick, you in here?"

I find my big brother in a tight embrace with my father. My brother is starting to tear up. When I come in, they turn their heads in my direction and start to loosen their grips on each other.

"Hey! Group hug!" I run towards them with a foolish grin on my face and hug them both. I guess my plan to create a slightly happier atmosphere worked, because Dick let out a small laugh when I embrace them. I look up at Bruce and he's gently smiling at me.

My family would be depressing without me.

****Break****

**Jason's POV**

I blink myself into consciousness. The world is still turning and everything is still blurry, I can hardly feel my fingers, but I know where I am.

I'm at the house. It's not really _home_ cause, I didn't grow up here. It also has that certain cold feeling as if a ghost is always watching.

I sit up on the soft bed and moan as the world spins.

I stand up and start stumbling towards the open doorway. I don't know how I even got here...all I remember is seeing Dick's face, then a dark stairway and, the rest is all blurry and muffled noises.

I stumble down the clean and neat hall down to the tech room. I open the door and find Autumn sitting on the swivel chair in front of the computer screens...deep in thought.

She turns around and I lean on the door.

"Wow, you up already?" She looks at me from head to toe. "You look like shit." She says and I roll my eyes.

"No kidding."

"You should go back to bed. Why'd you get out in the first place?" She starts moving towards me.

"I want to know what the hell happened." My voice is hoarse and my throat is dry.

"You don't remember?" I furrow my eyebrows trying to remember...then in an instant, I regret trying to remember.

Flashes of a mad man laughing in my face start to block my vision. There's red everywhere, and a crowbar, then an explosion.

The world tilts sideways and my head moves closer to the ground. My sister catches my collapsed body. "No, it couldn't have happened again...no...no...NO!" We fall on the floor.

"NO! NO! NO! NO!" I start to struggle as Autumn holds me with her smaller arms.

"Jason! Jason!" Her voice starts to become distant as I continue to yell.

"No!"

I start to punch the ground as Autumn is forced to let go. She just kneels on the floor in front of me, watching me lash out.

The memory repeats over and over again in my head. Some memories are when I was still 15, some memories were just about...a few weeks ago…

"NO! NO!" I don't know why I'm yelling. But the memory hurts...and having to relive it...it hurts more.

"I DIED! I DIED AGAIN! NOOO! I CAN'T! I COULDN'T HAVE! NO! I DIED!" I continue to punch the ground.

I put my hand on the wall that's next to me as I stare at the ground.

"Jason!" I haven't noticed that she stood up, but she puts her hand on my shoulder.

"Jason! Stop!" But I just yell the same thing.

"I DIED!" My knuckles start to hurt as they turn purple and black.

Suddenly, I push Autumn away, and she falls backwards to the ground. I know because I hear a loud thud and a crash.

I only continue to punch the floor. "I DIED! NO! NO! NO!" I yell the same thing over and over again.

Suddenly I feel smaller, warm arms wrap around me as my vision starts to become red. She just hugs me, and I can feel myself calming down. I stop punching the floor with my bruised knuckles.

"I died again…" I mutter as Autumn buries her face in my shoulder and hugs me tightly as I stare into nothing with wide eyes.

"No, you didn't die, not again. I couldn't let you big bro." She says.

Suddenly, I remember warm and gentle small arms help me out of the cold place.

"I...I'm...alone…sis" I mutter, remembering how cold I felt five years ago.

"No... I won't leave you alone Jase. I promise." I can hear her swallow a cry.

She hugs me tighter as if she's afraid to let go. "But...but...you have to promise...that you won't leave either, okay?" She says, choking in her own sob.

I slowly nod as I pull myself back into reality and I hug my little sister as well. "I promise." She sighs.

****Break****

I'm dreaming.

I'm in a house, it is only a one story house.

First is a living room, then I walk up the stairs and there is some kind of arch way. There is a white clean couch and a large TV in front of it, a glass door is next to the TV leading to the swimming area. Then after is a modern kitchen.

Just before the kitchen and after the couch is a huge hallway with multiple rooms.

It's the house.

I walk down the hallway and open one of the doors. I see a little girl training with a man. He seems to be forcing her to do push ups. I close the door and move on to the next one.

I see an older girl sparring with a boy her age, they seem to be sparring on top of a mountain. "Come on Dami! You can do better than that!" I close the door.

I go to the next door and find the same girl driving a large ship with her older allies yelling some things. I shut the door.

I go to another door and I open it. I find the same girl reading a book to a young boy. I close the door.

I open another one, and the same girl is holding her necklace as she talks to a woman. I close the door.

Then I'm pulled by gravity into a door that is color red at the end of the hallway.

The door opens on its own and I just fly in.

I'm in a different house, well it looks more like an apartment.

It's dark and cold, and crappy. It reminds me of my old home when I still lived with Catherine Todd.

I hear a woman crying in one of the rooms, I walk towards the wide open doorway and I peek.

There is a woman crying on her bed. Her world has seemed to change.

"WHY?" She yells.

She's asking God why…

"He's dead!"

Why her son has died.

I know because I can feel the whispers in my ear.

I get out of the room.

And move to the one next to it.

I open the shut door and go inside.

I can see the woman's only daughter crying. She can't sleep tonight.

I get out and close the door, and I leave the apartment and go back to the house.

The walls start to collapse, and everything falls.

The world becomes red and the face of the clown pops out of no where, laughing at my face.

I clench my teeth, and take the bomb that suddenly appears on the ground. I jump up and throw it in the clown's mouth. His face blows up and he disappears.

But...as I land on my two feet, I land on dead bodies. Dead bodies of my family. I can see, Dick, Tim, Christine, Damian, Barbara, Autumn, Alfred, and even Bruce's body on the ground.

'NO! NO!" The clown's laughter echoes around me.

"You did this! You did all of this!" I look around the fiery world, but I don't find him. "You did this!" He keeps on whispering.

Until I collapse and close my eyes.

And when I open them, I'm at a garden wearing my old Robin uniform. It's not tattered, broken, or bloody. It looks the same...my cape flying behind me. My mask still on, that R emblazoned on my chest. It looks all the same. With my black cape, and red suit, my long sleeves and my pants.

I look at my hands, and I'm back to being that twelve year old still learning how to do a flip. Then I look up and see Batman's face, smiling at me.

Then my clothes change. I'm wearing that large white dirty shirt and ragged pants. I drop the tire iron that just appeared in my hand and stare back up at Batman as we both stand in a dark alley.

He puts his hand on my shoulder. "It's time to come back home. For good." He says, and I look up at him and frown.

Then he disappears. I look to my left and see a nineteen year old me holding The Joker by his neck and throwing Batman a gun.

I can hear Bruce say. "I can't, I'm sorry, I just can't."

I look down. Then I open my eyes.


	17. How to be Insane

**Chapter 17: How to be Insane**

**Autumn's POV**

Three weeks.

Jason's back on his feet, and so is the Batfamily. I'm still trying to figure out why I blacked out three weeks ago.

The Bat Family and I haven't met, not since three weeks ago. Another bloody battle has been avoided, for now. Probably because life as a crime fighter keeps me busy. I don't have time to socialize.

I haven't told Jason about messing with their heads, but I did tell him that they did figure out my identity. He told me to always be careful and to not leave the house without covering my face. He has a good point.

As the helicopter comes down, I smirk at the pilot whose face is frightened. He turns the helicopter and doesn't land. I roll my eyes and run towards the helicopter and jump.

I grab the bar that's at the bottom of the helicopter and start swinging so I can get in.

I take the two pilots and shove them out the open door.

I take the controls and land the helicopter on the drop spot and search through the case. Guns, bombs, guns, more bombs...yeesh, Two Face seems to love guns. Nothing useful here. Hood has already enough guns and bombs to support his drug ring, so...I'm gonna go and leave this useless junk behind.

Then from a far, I hear footsteps, too light to be Hood's, and he's all the way on the other side, patrolling. I run to the control area and start to fly the helicopter away from the building. I look out the window and find Red Robin jumping up and holding onto the bars under the helicopter.

I move the helicopter away from the building and on top of the street of people. I burn the controls with my hands and jump out. Let's see if Red Robin can handle a helicopter on his own.

My hand holds the side of a ledge and I flip and get on my feet. I don't stick around and watch before I run away. I'm not in the mood to fight Red Robin right now, or his dad, or any back up he brought with him.

I run and jump to the next building and land on another ledge. I climb up to the roof and I meet Red hood.

"I saw Red Robin. He probably has back up with him. We should go. Now." But he just gestures for me to go away.

"Yeah, in a sec." Ugh, he's in a stubborn mood.

"What?"

"I just wanna talk to them." I nod and start moving away to jump to the next building.

But he's acting weird...I better not go, yet.

**Bruce's POV**

I jump over the large gap with Red Robin and Robin at my side. I don't know why Tim and Damian wanted to come so badly. They even fought over it.

We've been trying to find Phoenix and Hood's hideout. I've checked underground, all over the East Side, but I didn't find them.

I told my family to stay away from Phoenix for a while because they're still healing from the wounds...slowly.

We land on the next building and Red Hood seems to just be standing there, facing the edge of a building, waiting for us.

"Now, I almost thought you were starting to avoid me." He smirks. "Why a sudden change of mind?" He asks, not looking back at us.

"Enough. Hood. Come with us."

"Why can't you people just give up? You gave up the first time." He comments, looking at the edge of the building. "You know what I don't get, Batman? Why not just throw me in Arkham? Whenever you get the chance you just seem to let me slip away. It's not like you care, right?" He says coldly.

"That's not true."

"Mhmm." He hums, still staring down at the edge of the building. His red helmet reflecting light. His shoulders are relaxed, his head is down, and he only stands there looking at the bottom of the tall building.

"Turn around and come with us. I won't take you to Arkham...you're going home, Hood." I say as gently as possible.

He cocks his head to the side but still looks down. "For some reason...I believe you..." He says still not looking away from the edge. "But...if I come with you...it won't be the same...will it? It's not going to be the way it was. Things have changed..." He says, sounding detached.

I narrow my eyes.

"After I died...things just changed..." Jason says, sounding like a ghost. "But one thing hasn't changed...I'm still your greatest failure, in life and in death. I'm nothing but a mistake, like you said."

He sways slightly, and suddenly, his weight shifts and he falls forward, off the edge of the building.

The three of us run towards the edge with wide eyes.

We look over the edge and see his falling body. He's not even pulling out a grappling gun, he's just falling...as if he wants to.

I pull out my own grappling gun, but before I can shoot to try to catch his leg, a figure swings on a line. It's Phoenix. Fire is lighting her back as she swings on the grappling gun and grabs Jason's arm as he falls.

Fire lights her hair as she swings while holding onto Jason. She swings to the left, to the other side of the next building. From here, I can hear her yell. "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!?"

****Break****

**Autumn's POV**

"ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL YOURSELF!?" I yell as he sits on the couch just staring straight forward at nothing.

"JASON! WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU TELL ME TO LEAVE SO YOU CAN JUMP OFF A F***ING BUILDING!?" I yell.

"ARE YOU TRYING TO COMMIT SUICIDE?!" I understand the concept of suicide, and I know why he would do it...but...but he promised! Just three weeks ago...he promised! And he's already gonna break that promise? "WHY!? I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY YOU WOULD DO THAT!"

He hasn't been himself the past three weeks. Reliving those memories that he was just about to forget...broke him.

"Because...because...I don't see the reason for me to live...my family doesn't want me...my dad doesn't want to avenge me...my family sees me as insane and evil...I'm just not enough...I'm a mistake, a failure...I'm nothing..." He says, still staring at nothing.

Why don't these people understand? I rub my face. "YOU AREN'T A FAILURE JASON." Whatever The Joker did to him, it broke him even more.

"Things can't go back to the way it was before..." He mutters.

I know Jason has been broken all this time. But...he's never shown it before.

"I'm just his greatest mistake...just a damn dead Robin! A Robin that shouldn't have been!" He gets up and just walks to his room and slams the door.

I'm just here, standing, staring at the wall. He's going to kill himself. My own mom already killed herself...and my big brother's going to kill himself too?!

Eliza was right...his mental stability, isn't...right, since the incident...this isn't right.

I need to fix this before it gets out of hand.

****Break****

**Dick's POV**

"Are you saying that he tried to jump off a building?" I ask, trying to hide my surprise.

"So, he tried to commit suicide?!" Chris says, sounding just as surprised as I am.

"I am not surprised by this. It sounds much like Todd." Damian says, standing behind Batman who is typing furiously on the computer.

"But why would Jason wanna jump off a building?" Tim wonders.

I sigh. "Maybe...something happened." I suggest. Batman stops typing.

"It doesn't matter. What matters is that we need to find him and fix this before he hurts himself." Batman growls and I nod.

"You're right. But-" suddenly there is a red alert on the computer.

Batman opens the window, and a video, probably taken by an amateur, pops up.

The first thing that catches my eye is Jason's face. He's not wearing his helmet, or his mask, or his suit. He doesn't have any guns or weapons. He's just wearing a normal everyday white shirt and pants. He could pass out as a normal civilian. Except...

He's coated in blood, he has wide deranged eyes, and he's holding the neck of a teenager, quickly choking the teen, then dropping the body to the floor.

There is blood all over his hands and shirt. His hair is messy and his face has tracks of blood and dirt, and somehow...he looks more insane than usual.

He's on a rampage.

Although the video has no sound, I can see him screaming as he punches and kicks policemen holding batons and advancing on him.

He looks like he's in a dark street, with only lampposts as light. His eyes continue to widen as he punches the policeman in the stomach and grabs the policeman's gun and shoots his head. He's shooting everyone he sees randomly. His eyes get wider and wider as he shoots all these innocent people.

"What is he doing!?" Tim yells.

Jason looks at the camera and points the gun at the camera and shoots. It all goes black.

Batman stands up, nearly toppling over his chair. "Let's go." He says harshly and heads towards the BatMobile, and we all get in as he drives.

****Break****

We all jump out of the vehicle and I see Jason just randomly shooting all the screaming people trying to run away from him. Bloody bodies surround him as he screams and lashes.

A girl about Chris' age runs towards him. I can't see her face because all I see is her back as she stands in front of Jason. I can see Jason's pupils adjusting, but his eyes are still wide.

"JASON STOP!" The girl yells as we all run towards the mess. Jason just shakes his head as his eyes continue to widen. He points the gun at the girl's head, but she doesn't move out of the way.

"GET OUT OF THE WAY KID!" I yell at her, but she doesn't move.

Jason's muscles start to twitch, and his eyes are darting around. Suddenly, he points the gun towards the girl's leg and shoots before the girl can jump out of the way.

She falls to the floor next to him as Jason continues to lash out. I look at Jason, then where the girl is supposed to be laying...but she's not there anymore, as if she never even existed.

We run towards him and Chris throws a batarang at his gun, which slides out of his hand. He grunts and grips onto his bloody wrist as his wide eyes dart to Chris. He just absentmindedly runs towards her, but before he gets to her, Tim and Damian grab his arms and stop him.

He growls and I stand in front of him and kick his stomach just to make him stop.

He crouches down under Tim's and Damian's grasp, but he doesn't stop struggling.

Bruce walks up to him and stares into his eyes. "Jason! Jason! Can you hear me!?" Bruce asks him but he only growls and spits on Bruce's face.

"AAAAAH!" He screams and I move towards him.

"JASON! What's going on!? What's the matter?"

Suddenly he stops lashing out and moving. He hangs limply as he faces his head down.

"Nothing...everything...something..." He mutters.

Then he shoots his head back up with wider eyes. "YOU!" He looks at Batman. "YOU DID THIS! IT'S YOUR FAULT! YOU! IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!" He screams at Bruce with extremely wide eyes.

****Break****

**Autumn's POV**

What's going on with Jason?

I wonder as I clean the wound on my leg. I watched the entire thing from an alley as I bled. Something's not right.

I knew something was wrong since three weeks ago because Jason has been too quiet. He walked around like a ghost and just stared at nothing. Whenever I talked to him, he only stood up and walked away as if he didn't hear me. Sometimes he only sat there staring at the wall.

Batman took him somewhere. I'm not sure exactly where this place, but according to data; Batman brought him to some kind of rehab center. I'm going to find out which rehab center that is, even if I have to search every rehab center in Gotham.

I limp towards the tech room with my bandaged leg. I can't believe myself! Jason has been gone for five days! But I haven't even bothered to find out where he is! Maybe because I was just a bit busy with the Blackgate breakout yesterday. Batman could have taken care of the breakout, but I had to lock down the entire place so that the inmates wouldn't get out. A lot of guards were killed, but I did it for the greater good.

I take a seat on the swivel chair and position my hands on the keyboard and start typing. I look through the Bat Computer's files first just to make life easier. I click on Jason's file. It's no longer deceased...weird.

_Jason Peter Todd_

_Sex: Male_

_Alias: Red Hood_

_Age: 19_

_Occupation: Patient at the Gotham Rehab Center_

_Family: Autumn Cross_

_Status: Extremely dangerous._

_Relationship: Enemy_

There we go. Gotham Rehab Center. I open up a new window and research the Gotham Rehab Center. It's a rehab center for the mentally unstable. They have enough psychiatrists to support the many patients.

I move to the bigger computers, the ones I use for hacking and work. I type rapidly and from here, I can hack into the minor security of the center. It'll only take a minute. I move back to the laptop and click my name. I'm curious.

_Autumn Skylar Cross_

_Sex: Female_

_Alias: Phoenix_

_Age: 12_

_Occupation: N/A_

_Family: Jason Todd_

_Status: Extremely dangerous_

_Relationship: Enemy_

So they've changed my file on their computer. Cool, I'm extremely dangerous.

I shake my head and move towards the other computers again and take a look at the list of patients. That's a lot of patents...there! Jason Haywood? What? ...well, I guess that would make sense.

I click on his name to check out his status. Mentally unstable, trauma, approach with caution, extremely dangerous.

I check his files and the reviews of the doctors.

_Jason Haywood is a very unstable patient. During sessions he does not respond. Instead, he chokes the doctors and nearly kills them. He has injured and killed many of the patients during lunchtime whenever we let the patients go to the cafeteria. He seems to have a very bad relationship with the guards, that he took their baton and killed them for fun. But he cannot be fixed. Whatever the man is experiencing, whatever his trauma is, we cannot unlock it. He cannot be brought back. We suggest that he be brought to Arkham Asylum instantly. _

I nearly slam my hand on the keyboard. ARKHAM! THEY'RE GONNA SEND HIM OFF TO ARKHAM! HE'S NOT BROKEN! YOU'RE DOCTORS! WHY CAN'T YOU FIX THIS DAMN THING!

If I stay in this seat, I'm gonna break the computer. I stomp my way towards the training hall and just punch the punching bag continuously without gloves until my hands fall off. Yes, one can say that I am a very overprotective little sister.

No worries, Jase, I have already formulated a plan;

Get into Arkham, and get you out.

****Break****

**Chris' POV**

What the hell has happened to Jason? I know he's insane, but I didn't think he was _this _insane! First, he jumped off of a building and didn't even try to save himself. He's never considered suicide before, at least from what I've seen and what my family has told me.

Then, he went on a bloody rampage and killed everyone in sight. What I don't understand is why he didn't kill that girl when she stepped right in front of her. He put the gun to her head, but then he shot her leg... What if that was Autumn? She did have black, wavy hair...

And now, apparently he's so insane that the doctors who specialize in looking for the craziness inside people say that he should be sent to Arkham?!

I've confronted Jason a few times, but never alone. I've met him a few times to know his fighting styles, his usual motives, and his level of sanity. I _know_ that there's no way he's as crazy as all the other villains we've kept away at Arkham.

So what changed him?

****Break****

**Autumn's POV**

I let one day pass before putting on my suit and discretely breaking into Arkham.

I walk in through the hallways of Arkham. There are many steel doors and I can hear loud noises behind them. I already took down the guards, but I didn't kill them, unless they pissed me off somehow. I stop in front of a steel door. If I burn this then an alarm will obviously be set off. I take the keys that I...borrowed…from the guards and put it through the many key holes of the door.

I quietly open the door.

Jason is sitting on the small bed in the dark room, just staring at the wall for some reason.

"Jason." He looks at me. "Let's go." I say this colder than I wanted. "You're getting out." He just turns back to his favorite wall.

"No...I'm a monster. I can't leave this place."

"What are you talking about Jason? You're not a monster!"

"Even if I left this place, what next? I can't have freedom, not from the monster inside me." He says with a heavy voice.

"What?!"

"I'll just kill everyone...I'm a killer. I'll destroy my family. They'll die because of me!"

"No, they won't."

"YES THEY WILL! I WILL KILL THEM! I WILL DESTROY THEM!" He turns to me and stands up.

"Jason."

"NO! I'M NOT COMING WITH YOU! I'M NOT LEAVING THIS PLACE." He sits back down.

"Listen, whatever happened to you. We can fix it! We can even ask Batman."

"NO! I DON'T WANT TO SEE HIS FACE! EVER! IT'S HIS FAULT! HE NEEDS TO DIE! I HATE HIM! I HATE HIM!" He keeps on repeating. I'm really confused right now...thank God these walls are sound proof.

"HE DIDN'T AVENGE ME! HE'LL PAY! THEY ALL WILL!" He raises his hand and clenches his fist.

I sigh. "We'll fix you. But don't think that I'll just leave you here. I'll be back."

I move out of the room and shut the door. That's when the alarm blows, and I leave the asylum as the guards close in.

****Break****

Wow…

I've been trying to get Jason out of the asylum but he still wouldn't come...first, he pushes me, then he becomes like a weird ghost, then he shoots my leg, and after he pushes me away...again!

Now I know how Batman feels. I don't like it.

But...Jason promised...he said he wouldn't leave. Maybe he didn't mean the promise, but a promise is still a promise, and I'm keeping mine.

Even though four days have passed, I'm still not giving up...but he just doesn't wanna come! I don't understand why?! Why would he wanna stay in that wretched place? I can already smell the scent of despair, hopelessness, and rage surrounding the entire asylum.

If only he comes with me, maybe I can fix my big brother.

But what he said to me just...I don't know the word to describe it..._just go away and leave...stop trying Autumn, because there's no hope! I'm a monster and that's that! Batman told me that himself! I hate Batman! I hate his family! I hate my murderer and I hate you!_

I know siblings 'hate' each other...maybe he didn't mean it with all the drugs Arkham has been pumping into his mind...but whether he meant it or not, it still hurt.

But it's okay. I'm not giving up. I've been rejected and abandoned before, I didn't give up...why should I give up now?

The drug ring has been wondering why The Hood hasn't shown up. Stories have started to spread through gangs, that The Red Hood is dead or maybe he was killed by Batman. Now, only Phoenix is left.

They think that rebelling is a great idea just because The Red Hood is 'dead'? They're wrong.

I showed them when I took down an entire mob, and only let one messenger spread the word.

They think that his 'death' is affecting Phoenix's line of work? Not a chance. Whenever I wear the name of Phoenix, it feels like my heart and my emotions get locked up in a titanium ball...Phoenix locks them away. I only wish that Autumn can do the same. Phoenix doesn't feel anything, but Autumn does. But there's one thing Phoenix and Autumn agree on...it's to never show any weakness.

Why am I talking in third person anyways?

But, back to the matter at hand...Jason really doesn't wanna come with me. I've already asked him like twice a day within the past four days! He's just...UGHHHH!

But I'm not leaving my brother alone...no matter what he says. Because I promised. I always keep my promises, just as I kept my promise with my mom.

I only broke one promise my entire life...I know soon I have to pay the price for that broken promise I made…

I look out the window. Finally, the sun is down. I start moving to my room but the my cell phone rings. I pick up the phone.

Phoenix takes over. "WHAT?" I say harshly.

"LISTEN TO ME YOU GOOD FOR NOTHING LITTLE B****!" I smirk.

"Ahh, Mask, good to finally meet you. You know, over the phone."

"WHERE IS HOOD?!"

"Oh, you can send whatever message you have for him to me."

"WHATEVER. LISTEN UP, I WILL DESTROY YOU...I WILL KILL YOU BOTH AND-"

"Oh no worries, Black Mask. You wouldn't have to worry about us sooner or later." I can feel his eyes widen on the other line as I turn off the phone.

I drop the Nokia on the ground and smirk as I walk and step on it.

I put on my favorite comfy black jacket that actually fits me, and my tattered jeans, and a pair of rubber shoes. That's it.

I turn off all the lights of the house and leave as I shut the front door behind me. I put on my hood and walk away.

**Damian's POV**

I. Am. Soooooooooo. Bored.

It's really warm today, and we all wanted to go swimming in the pool, but Pennyworth told us that we wouldn't be able to go swimming for the rest of the summer unless we all cleaned our rooms... He's more like a mother than a grandfather.

So...since Carter is a girl, meaning that her room is rarely messy (and she's also good at organizing, according to Pennyworth), she gets to go swimming with Grayson. I'm stuck cleaning my room, which in my opinion is not messy at all, while Drake is cleaning up the mess he made with that stupid nerdy experiment he was trying to do. I knew all along that it would fail. Drake is an idiot.

I could be checking recent tweets right now...

I'm stuffing all of the clothes that were on my bed into the closet when Carter bursts into my room, dripping chlorine water onto my carpet. She has a towel wrapped around her, but I can tell that she rushed out of the pool since she's really wet.

"Autumn's on a rampage...and she's on her way here."

"Carter, you are getting my floor wet! Leave my room this instant or I'll break your face!"

"Didn't you hear what I just said?!"

"Get out of my room first!"

Carter rolls her eyes and takes a step back. Now she's back in the hallway.

I smile and say, "Now you are no longer ruining my carpet." Then I pause, taking in what she had said. "Wait, WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHE'S ON HER WAY HERE?!"

"It's exactly what it sounds like! Dad told me that an alert was received, saying that a girl is walking in the direction of our manor, killing everyone she sees. GCPD units are on their way, but they will die against her! Now c'mon, come down and change into your work clothes!"

She's about to leave when I yell after her. "Wait, why are you the one telling me this? You were in the pool! My room is much closer to Father than you!" There must be some logical reason, because it is not possible that Father loves Carter more than me that he would bring all the news to her before me. I am above her! She is just a lowly peasant excuse for a sister.

"He said that Alfred stopped him. He said something about you guys needing to know skills for when you move out or whatever." Then she disappears from my sight.

Why does Pennyworth think that I will move out? I am obviously going to be the one to inherit Father's estate, not those excuses for sons that Father uses as substitutes for me. If for some reason I do move out, I would have enough money to have my own butler, anyway.

But why is Autumn coming here? Is she coming to murder the Wayne Family, or the Bat Family? Or is it just a coincidence that she's headed in this direction? I highly doubt that she's coming to profess her love to Drake. If that was true, I would break every bone in Drake's body after barfing up my intestines.

I guess we'd better find out.

****Break****

**Tim's POV**

We head outside, even though it isn't exactly "dark" yet, and find bodies everywhere, each one lying in its own pool of scarlet liquid. My eyes follow the trail of dead, innocent bystanders and find a girl with a thick black jacket, tattered jeans, and a hood over her head. Autumn.

"Autumn!" I yell, and she swiftly turns around. I expect her eyes to be wide with insanity, but instead they are narrowed, as if she's determined. Her wavy black hair is flowing out of her hood, and I can see blotches of fresh blood staining her black jacket.

"Finally. What took you so long?" Her voice isn't as taunting and menacing as it usually is. I can hear a hint of exasperation in her voice.

"What are you doing? Why are you hurting all of these random, innocent people? I thought you only hurt the people that deserved it?" Nightwing says as he takes a step closer to her. To my surprise, she doesn't raise her gun at his head. Instead, she slightly lowers it. What is going on?

"I needed to get your attention. I have a small request." She pulls down her hood revealing her teal green callous eyes, and her face. I can feel my face becoming hotter and I look over at Damian who seems to be blushing under his mask. I turn my head back at her.

"Why would we do anything for you? You aren't exactly _trustworthy_." Chris snarls.

"Because you'll enjoy it very much, especially you Nightingale." She smiles. Then, she drops her gun, takes a few steps closer to us, then sticks her arms out in front of her.

"Take me away boys! And girl..." She says still grinning.

Is she turning herself in?

"How do we know you aren't playing us?" Batman asks.

"Well, then, I guess you'll just have to trust me, then. Plus, why would I come to you and unmask myself? And if I wanted to kill you all, I would've done it ages ago. Take it or leave it." She says still holding up her hands.

"She's got a point...she didn't kill me that night, but she could've..." Chris whispers as she lowers her head slightly, as if she's remembering that incident.

Batman, Nightwing, and I all exchange glances. We've decided what we're gonna do.

Batman reaches behind him and pulls two handcuffs from underneath his cape. He places it around Autumn's wrists as he says, "Autumn Cross...you are under arrest for the murders of these people." She just stares down at the cuffs as her smile wipes off her face.

The police are taking a while. Since nothing else is really going on while waiting, I speak to the girl that kissed me.

"Why do you want to get arrested? Are you planning something?" I narrow my eyes at her.

"I told you. I just need a little favor from you. No questions asked. And even if I was planning something, why would I tell you? I've never told you anything before." She says while slightly smiling at me.

I hear a sound come out of Damian's mouth. When I turn my head, he has his arms crossed and is looking the other way, smirking.

Finally! The GCPD is here. I don't know why they brought so many units. Did they suddenly forget that they have 5 vigilante superheroes watching their backs? Jim Gordon emerges from one of the squad cars and walks over to Batman.

"I see you have her. Did she put up much of a fight?" the Commissioner asks.

"Nothing I couldn't handle." Batman responds.

"We'll take her from here." He motions for some of the officers to come forward, and they take Autumn and escort her into the back of one of the cars.

"Should we keep her at the county jail until her parents show?"

"No. Take her straight to the juvenile detention center. If anything changes in her situation, notify me immediately. You know how to contact me."

"Okay, Batman. Thanks...Bat Family..." He turns around and yells to the other police officers. "Send her to Gotham Juvenile Detention Center."

As he's yelling, Batman looks at us and gives us the signal, telling us to disappear into the shadows. Gordon turns around, shrugs his shoulders, and from where I'm hidden, I hear him whisper, "I'm still not used to it..."

****Break****

**Autumn's POV**

Juvie is boring...so boring that I've began mumbling to myself for a conversation. I'd go like. "Hey Autumn, what's up?"

"Nothing Autumn, just playing with a ball."

"Oh...that sounds boring."

"Hehe, well too bad, cause you're stuck playing with this ball with me!"

They named me as Autumn Haywood. I'm not okay with that...cause I hate Sheila. She gave me away, let someone die for her own life, and betrayed her own son. Mothers are supposed to love their children and protect them! Not give them away and leave them forever!

I sit here in my cell bouncing the ball on the walls. My plan is progressing. I've already injured six inmates and five guards within three days. All I need to do is kill someone and they'll send me off to a rehab center, and after that...Arkham.

By the time lunch is over, they'll be sending me to a rehab center. I just need to show them how insane I really am...that should be easy enough.

The cell door opens and I turn my head to see three guards coming in to escort me. I smile.

"Hey boys, back for more?" I stand up, and they keep straight faces.

We walk towards the cafeteria and I grin at the other kids in juvie. The kids my age all have cold hard frowns as they sit in their cells, while the teenagers grin at me as they hold onto the bars of their cells.

The guards push me into the cafeteria.

I take a tray and a plastic spoon and fork. I take a seat at an empty table and stab my mash potatoes. Then a large teenager sits right in front of me. Her hair is bright red and very messy; she has piercings all over her face, many earrings, and a scowl. I found my victim.

She slams her hand on the table. "Hey, I know ya new here. So let's get things straight. I'm the boss here. I say what you can and cannot do every time you get out of your cell. I'm here to make your life miserable." I look down at my mash potatoes and continue to play with it as I smirk.

"Hmph, amateur." I say loud enough for her to hear even under all that gross earwax.

"What did you say!?" She asks harshly and I slowly look up at her, still with a smirk across my face.

"You heard me, I said you were an amateur."

"Listen here, princess."

"Oh, so I'm a princess now?"

She clenches her teeth. "You don't talk back at me, or you will be beaten senseless." I shake my head and click my tongue.

"All talk…" I mock.

"Oh so you want a demonstration!" She holds the table in anger.

"Oh my gosh! Are you saying that you can beat me? No waay!" I say sarcastically. She's making this waay too easy. "I can't wait be beaten to a pulp by stupid moron!" I say and she roars in anger.

She grabs my neck and I stand up and hold her arms and flip her over the table. She holds her back as the guards make their way towards me. I kick the guards and punch them as I clench my teeth. I take one of the guards' baton and beat them all up.

As more guards run to me, I hold the baton high over the teenager's head and clench my teeth as I widen my eyes.

"This, is how you beat someone senseless." I say and I hit her head over and over again until her skull cracks and blood spills out.

Even after I can see her eyes wide but soulless, I continue to hit her head over and over again with the bloody, black baton. I feel no mercy, no compassion as I hit her. This insanity isn't fake just to get me to the rehab center. I really am striking her with all the anger and rage I've got.

I can feel arms around me as I drop the baton. I roar unhumanly and the guards start to scream as my vision becomes red with rage.

My breathing becomes slower as I look around the cafeteria where everyone is looking at me with wide eyes, and mumbling some things. By the door, more guards come in, with other men and woman staring at me with wide eyes.

"WHAT!?" I yell at them all.

****Break****

I was right. Before lunch even ended, I was sent off to the rehab center earlier this afternoon.

This place is more like a prison than a rehab center really. We have to wear orange jumpsuits, the walls are gross and breaking, the cells are disgustingly dark, and it's way too noisy.

A much bigger and stronger guard escorts me to my cell and opens the door. I walk in.

There is one bed and well...that's it. No prob, I've slept in worse places.

The guard removes the cuffs and I turn around and smile as he closes the door.

"Your therapy session will begin in a few minutes." He says emotionlessly.

I sit on the floor and pull out my tennis ball. I stare at the wall as I bounce it on the wall. This place is gross, but Arkham will be worse. I've got to get ready.

After a few minutes the guard comes back and escorts me to the therapy room, where a doctor with large glasses smiles at me. I think I already hate him.

"Hello Autumn.." He greets and looks at his papers before he continues and looks back at me"...Haywood." I take a seat on the chair in front of his desk.

"What's up?" I ask casually.

"Well, first. Would you like to know who is sponsoring you?"

"No. Cause I don't give a s***." I say casually.

He nods. "Alright then, down to business." He says while looking through the papers.

"So you've killed some...people." He looks back at me. "How do you feel about that?" Woah, it's only started and this is already becoming a boring conversation.

"Honestly, I don't care. I've killed people before without any remorse. I can do it again." I say with my lowered and bored eyelids.

"Okay...so why did you kill all those people?"

"Because I felt like it." I answer coldly.

"Come on, there has to be some kind of reason. Revenge? Confusion? Drugs?"

I shake my head. "No. Nothing like that. Just for...what's the word? Oh yeah, just for fun." I say still looking bored.

"Okay...let's try something else. Where are your parents?" He asks and I raise an eyebrow at his question.

"They're dead." I say without hesitation.

"You have...any family members?" I shake my head.

"Nope, just my brother who is in Arkham." I say sounding a bit enthusiastic.

"Is that why you went on a rampage? Because your brother was sent off to Arkham?"

Phoenix, I could use your help now. I need you to make me sound as cold as possible.

"No. I don't care about my brother. I just went on a rampage because I felt like it." I mentally punch myself for saying that. But I had to say it, to make me look like I really don't care.

The doctor seems convinced. "Would you like to share anything about what happened before your little rampage?"

I cock my head a bit. "Sure. I was walking around the streets when I found a gun on the floor. Then I started shooting everyone, cause I felt like it." I say with a small smile.

A short silence.

"Would you define...joy for me?" He asks.

"Joy...joy. A human emotion. A pleasure of happiness." I say blatantly. Man this guy's boring.

He nods. "Alright Autumn. Go back to your...room. We'll continue this tomorrow." I nod as he looks at his papers. I swipe a paper clip from his desk unnoticed and I walk away, and back to the guard standing outside.

****Break****

I'm more mad than they expected me to be. Almost every night, I'd break out of my cell using that paperclip I swiped and I'd enter other cells just to stab the men or women that are horrible people with the shard I got from the broken wall of my own cell.

Every morning, the guards would find dead bodies in many of the cells.

I only kill the people that piss me off, or that I witness are hurting other patients. But I don't kill the insane kids in this place, since they've hardly lived their lives...and for most of them, it's not their fault that their insane.

Some of the insane kids are even good to me.

Like during lunch some of the kids my age would just sit in front of me and just stare at me as I eat, and when lunch is over they'd smile at me a bit, and I would smile back.

The doctors here are imbeciles, because they think that they can fix me...they think that a bit of sanity is still there deep inside and that they can just bring it out. Almost like what Christine thought. But what they don't understand is that only I can bring that sanity out if I wanted, and I don't want to!

I already have many therapists and it's only been one and a half weeks. Some of them just gave up on me, some I killed, and some just turned insane themselves because of my gift to be able to enter someone's mind and mess everything up.

I sit on the same seat in the therapy room with a different doctor in front of me. She wears glasses and a straight face. She stops writing and looks at me.

"Ms. Haywood." She says firmly.

"Yeah, Ms. Taray?" I say and she pushes her glasses up.

"I would like you to address me as 'Doctor Taray' because I am your doctor. And the way you're saying it is not the way it's supposed to be said."

I look at my nails. "Yeah, but you won't last. I'll say you're name anyway I want to!"

"I'm sorry to say that I've been in the business for fifteen years now, and not one of my patients have left without being rehabilitated." I look up at her.

"I think you're lying doctor." I grin and look into her eyes as she furrows her eyebrows. "Have you tried...The Joker?" She flinches. There, I've got her.

I cock my head. "That mad man that just laughs in your face all day? The clown that kills for fun and maims just because he wants to. The clown that thinks that everyone is just as insane as he is. That everyone can break as easily as he did. The clown that should be dead." I say slowly rolling my head to the side.

She stares into my eyes for a while and coughs. "No, I have never met that mad man." She says with more force than necessary.

"I guess that's true. But...if I recall correctly." I say, putting my leg over the other one and straightening my back. "He killed your brother. A doctor in Arkham? He stabbed your brother painfully and cut opened his stomach just to pull out a key." I say and she grimaces. "Just to get out and escape. He killed your brother, am I right?"

"How do you know all this?!" She asks sounding more alarmed.

"A little bit of research here, and a bit of research over there." I say, sounding not so amused.

She shakes her head. "Let's get back to business." She says with a shaky voice, and I grin, putting my hands on my lap.

"Yes, that's right." I grin. Don't worry, Doctor..you won't be missing your brother after this session.

****Break****

I killed her. Hehe. The guards should have seen her face when she screamed. But too bad... When the guards ran in, I was already standing over her shocked face.

By the end of the second week, I had to say goodbye to the center. We had some good times together. But now I have to say hello to Arkham.

Five guards escort me inside. It's dark and cold, and if I didn't know any better, I would be scared. But I only continue to smile like an angel.

A man walks up to us. The two doctors that escorted me step forward. The man looks down at me and raises an eyebrow, then back at the doctors.

"Where is the patient?" The doctors gesture to me and I smile innocently and bat my eyes at the man.

I'm still wearing an orange jump suit and my hands are cuffed behind my back. My hair is tied but still messy.

"You can't be serious." The man says facing the doctors. "This is a kid. You're trying to send her off here to the Asylum?" He gestures to me. "I think you doctors are the ones who need to be checking in." He says crossing his arms.

The doctor shakes his head and looks down at me with fearful eyes. "Oh, you don't understand! She may look like an angel! But she is a monster, I tell you!"

The doctor grabs the man's shirt as he screams in his face. "Get off me!" The man pushes the doctor away.

"She is insane, no doubt about it." The doctor that's a woman says, more collected. "She needs to be locked up. For good."

"Then send her to Blackgate." The man says still crossing his arms and eying me.

"No. She needs to be locked up here."

"This is an asylum, not an orphanage." The man says. "We can even show you date and-"

"She killed most of her doctors! I don't even think I should be close to her!" The man that's a doctor says gesturing to me.

"Listen, we can't-" I grin widely and they all stare down at me with wide eyes.

"I'm sorry, but do you need me to demonstrate?" I start walking up to the three of them as they walk backwards with wide eyes. "Cause, I can if you want me to." I say and the doctors shake their heads.

"N...no!" I look at the man managing the asylum.

"Do you want proof?" He doesn't say anything as I slowly approach them as I grin at them. I can hear the guards head towards me. But all do is jump up and kick their faces, even with my cuffs on.

"What..are you doing?" The man says.

"Oh, don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you. I need you to watch." I say, walking to them.

The other man's eyes widen as he watches me, I take the shard from the wall of my cell in the rehab center hidden in my shoes and I walk towards the scared doctor that is a man and I grin.

Fear is for the weak. I hold the shard with my cuffed hands and walk towards the doctor.

The man's scream echoes through the asylum followed by the woman's.


	18. Visiting Hours

**Chapter 18: Visiting Hours**

**Dick's POV**

"Can we go wake up Carter?" I can see a mischievous look in Damian's eyes.

"What's your definition of 'waking her up'?" I ask him with suspicion.

"Pouring a bucket of ice water on her. Why?"

"We can wake her up, but not your way."

"Whatever, Grayson. Your way won't be as fun." He says as he crosses his arms.

Tim, Damian, and I walk to the door of Chris' room. She's still asleep, and it's already 9:43! I don't understand why not everyone is a morning person. Still, even though Bruce is a night person too, he's awake. At least I think he is...there are sounds coming from his room.

I silently open her door and peek inside. Her room is dimly lit by the sunlight flooding in through her window. Her computer, along with some pencils, pens, and that kind of stuff usually on desks, are neatly organized on her desk. The area near her mirror is empty except for a brush, comb, some hair ties, and a tiny jewelry box. She's more of a tomboy than a girly girl.

Chris' face is half hidden by the blanket. And yet, she looks so peaceful. I don't really want to wake her up, but it's already late (in my book at least).

The three of us approach her bed. Tim bends down closer to her ear. He's about to say something when Damian interrupts him.

"If you _really _want to wake her up, kissing her on the _lips _will have your more desired effect."

Tim's cheeks turn a light shade of red as he takes a small step back, but the color quickly turns back to normal. Damian smirks at him.

"You...you can wake her up, Dick." Tim states. I don't know why he's so nervous all of a sudden. He's over his crush on Chris...right?

"Ok." I lean down and shake her body lightly.

"Chris, wake up." I whisper.

She doesn't wake up. I lean over and put my mouth close to her ear.

"Chris! Wake up!" I yell, shaking her more violently.

"Is that really the best you can do?" Damian taunts. I ignore him when Chris groans and turns over.

"Go away..." She complains.

"C'mon. Get up. You can do it."

"Ugh...Grayson you are pathetic. This is how you get someone up."

Damian jumps on top of Chris and starts yelling. "Carter, you imbecile, get up!"

"Get off me Demon!" Chris yells. Her voice sounds awake, but she's still lying in her bed, eyes half open, trying her best to push Damian off of her. "You're heavy for a 12 year old!"

"Well you're light for a 12 year old!" Damian complains back.

At least it's working.

"Chris, get up or I'll jump on you too!" I threaten.

"Don't. You. Dare." Her eyes are almost fully open, but her tone is threatening, like Batman's.

"Oh I will." And with that, I jump on top of Damian, and together we apply weight onto Chris.

"Tim, if you try to jump on me, all three of you are going to break my ribs. I don't think you want to be scolded by Bruce along with a kick to your balls, courtesy of me!" Chris threatens.

"I won't..." Tim states, almost like he's shy.

"We aren't moving until you get up." I state.

"Ugh...fine! Now GET OFF ME!"

I push myself off of the bed, and Damian follows suit. Chris starts breathing heavily as she pulls herself up.

"How many times do I have to tell you?! Don't wake me up like that!" She narrows her eyes.

"No promises." I say.

"Why would we stop doing something that amuses us?" Damian asks, while laughing hysterically.

Chris rolls her eyes. "Get out of my room!"

"No. We're dragging you downstairs. If we leave, you can always fall back asleep." I state.

"Well I-" Chris is cut off when I pick her up and throw her over my shoulder. I look at Damian and Tim. Damian has a wide grin while Tim is barely smiling. I don't know what he thinks of all this...

I expect Chris to bang her fists on my back, kick her legs frantically, and start screaming, but instead she just lies limply on my shoulder.

"What's up with you?" I ask.

"No use fighting and wasting my precious energy." She grumbles.

Tim and Damian run ahead down the stairs while I stop in front of Bruce's room.

"Bruce? You comin' down?"

Silence at first, then a shuffling sound.

"I'll be out in a moment. Just head downstairs." He replies, sounding rather grim.

Geez, what's up with him this morning?

"Okay." I turn around.

"Hurry up Daddy!" Chris yells as I begin to descend the stairs.

I'm at the bottom of the steps when Alfred emerges from the kitchen with a plate of food, a look of horror on his face.

"Master Richard! Put your sister down now!" Alfred's shocked voice echoes through the room.

"Yes, Alfred." I slowly slide Chris off my shoulder and place her back on the floor.

"Thanks..." She says as she turns around and grabs the plate from Alfred. She makes her way to the table.

"Miss Christine, that is Master Bruce's plate of food. Yours is in the kitchen."

"What's the difference?" She asks with a mouthful of food.

"Master Bruce has a larger serving size than you do."

"Really? Well, I guess, since he's a grown man and all...but I always feel the servings you give me are too little. I'm just gonna continue eating this."

"Alright then...just make sure you finish it, no matter how full you are." Alfred heads back into the kitchen, probably to add more food onto "Chris'" plate, which is now Bruce's.

Tim takes a seat next to her. "Are you sure you can finish that without getting too full? I mean...you are pretty skinny."

"So are you! And just because I'm skinny doesn't mean I don't have a large appetite. Besides, don't skinny people need to eat more because food gives more nutrients and carbs and whatever that stuff is?"

"Well you used the right words, but-" Suddenly, Chris shoves a spoonful of eggs into his mouth. Damian smirks and I laugh.

"You just got served!" I say.

Chris laughs as she takes the spoon out of Tim's mouth. I don't know whether or not my joke is funny because Chris laughs at both hilarious jokes and stupid jokes. Her reason for laughing at stupid jokes: "They're so stupid, it's hilarious!"

All of us are laughing, even Tim through mouthfuls of food, when Bruce comes down the steps wearing a suit and expensive loafers (I forget the brand).

"Father, why are you dressed like that? It's Saturday. You don't have work." Damian questions.

"I'm going to Arkham."

Silence. Is this undercover work for Batman? Or...

"Are you going to visit Jason?" I ask, and all heads turn to me.

A pause. Then Bruce speaks.

"Yes."

More silence. I always feel uncomfortable when the mansion is completely silent. It's kinda like the silence has an echo that moves throughout the entire house. Also, mansions are usually haunted in movies and stuff like that. The silence just adds to the creepy factor.

The silence is broken when Chris' spoon clatters onto her plate. I look back, and it looks as if the plate was licked clean. I never knew Chris could eat that much!

"Can I come?" She asks, and then everyone's gaze shifts to her.

"Why?" Bruce asks.

"Plenty of reasons, actually...well plenty in my book. I've never really seen Jason without a mask. Two, I've never actually been _inside _Arkham...and I've always been curious. Three, I wanna see what Jason is like when he's apparently 'more insane than he already is.' Four, I wanna see Phoenix...I feel like there's a different reason why she's there...and that's it, I think. Wow, that actually is a lot."

Bruce is deep in thought. Its not like she can get badly hurt; the psychopaths are behind bars and surrounded by guards. Then again, how many times have villains escaped from Arkham?

"Alright, you can come. Just make sure you are near me or a guard at all times. Don't be curious and wander off."

"Relax, Bruce. I'm not a child...well technically I am, but you know what I mean. I know I have a tendency to explore every new place I enter, but I have self-control. Besides, it's not like I can sneak away from you that easily."

"Go, get changed."

Chris stands up, nearly knocking over the chair. As she runs up the stairs, she yells a triumphant "Yes!" while making a fist and moving her elbow closer to her side. I don't really know what that gesture is called. At least she's happy. I can't help but smile.

Damian approaches Bruce and says. "Father, may I also accompany you on your visit to Arkham? Someone needs to be able to protect Carter when you can't."

"Okay. You go get changed too."

He barely gave that any thought. I guess Damian's reason for wishing to go is an automatic ticket for going.

Before heading upstairs, Damian approaches Tim and whispers something in his ear. When Damian pulls away, he is smirking. Once Damian turns around, Tim's cheeks begin to turn a bright red. What did Damian say to him?

**Tim's POV**

Dammit! I'm blushing! Go away, blush! Turn back into my skin color!

The Demon...he's lucky.

"Carter and I will be able to sneak away from Father, and who knows what'll happen. Or maybe, I can sneak into Autumn's cell and we will make out. Either way, you lose one of the women you show affection toward. Well, you are going to lose them both anyway. Why would anyone show you that kind of affection. Too bad you can't come... I doubt Father will allow one more person to come."

I'm not sure if I'm the one with a disgusting mind or if he is.

****Break****

**Chris' POV**

We're here.

We enter the visiting room. In the center of the room is a glass wall separating this part and the other part. On the other side is a table and a heavily chained door.

Jason is sitting on the chair with his arms chained to the table and his head facing down. He's wearing a dirty orange jumpsuit, his sleeves are pulled up halfway, and his breathing is shallow as he faces down, his bangs covering his face.

Jeez, Jason looks creepy, but I'm really curious.

Bruce takes a step forward and sits down on the chair in front of the glass. Jason shoots up his head.

I take a step back as I stare into those wide eyes full of insanity. He stares straight at Bruce but doesn't say anything.

"YOU!" He suddenly yells as he tries to get up.

"Jason." Dad says, keeping a calm tone.

Damian and I take two steps back towards the door behind us as Jason stares straight at Bruce with wide eyes.

"Dad…" I say. Without turning his head, he nods, signaling us to leave.

We walk out of the room as Jason yells something we can't hear.

We walk down the hallway with two guards at our sides, to the other visitor's room right next to this one.

We stop right in front of the dark door.

"I'll go first." I say, and the guards start to unlock the heavy door and I enter alone.

"Be careful Carter." That's the last thing I hear before the guard that came in with me closes the door.

The room is dim. A table sits in the middle of the room. There's no glass this time...I don't know why though. There's also a door standing at the back of the room, probably leading to the hallway of cells.

I stare into her dark, hard eyes. I see no sign of fear, just anger. She's sitting on the seat right in front of the table, leaning forward. Her arms are completely chained to the table, much like Jason was, although her chains seems to be heavier. Her ankles are also chained to the floor, but it looks to me that the chains are loose enough for her to lean in and whisper something in my ear to break my mind again. I have to be careful.

She just glares into my eyes. The light makes her look like she has dark circles under her eyes...well that, and also because she's bowing her head a bit. There is a large frown on her face as she stares right into me.

I take a seat in front of her and lean back in my seat as far as I can get. But no matter how hard I lean my back on the seat, I'm not getting any farther from that scary glare of hers. Whoever trained her is good, even teaching the Bat glare to her. I don't think Jason taught her that glare. Bruce's Bat glare usually only sends a chill through my spine, but hers..._hers..._makes me want to move as far away from her as possible. I have to stay strong and not show fear.

After a little silence, she lifts her head, and the dark circles around her eyes disappear. Her frown leaves, replaced with a smirk.

"So...are you real or...is this a dream?" I furrow my eyebrows as I ask.

"Yeah I think this is real. You know, you're not my first visitor...a woman...uh, what's her name? The doctor? Eh nevermind her name. She also came here just before you did." She says to herself.

"Autumn." I say firmly. She raises an eyebrow but looks down at her hands that are still chained.

"Hmm?" She hums.

"I need to ask you questions." Then I turn to the guard and motion for him to leave. He obeys. I'm surprised he didn't even hesitate.

"What kind of...questions?"

"Why did you turn yourself in? After all this time trying to get away from us, after trying to kill us...why would you just...turn yourself in?" I ask, furrowing my eyebrows even more.

She looks up at me, her eyes empty; this time there's no rage, no anger, nothing...just clouds of fog in her eyes.

"Cause I wanted to." She answers and I shake my head.

"I doubt that."

"Go ahead, doubt it. But it's the truth."

"Who would wanna check themselves in Arkham?"

She cocks her head. "This girl." She smirks...I think her stay here at Arkham made her insanity grow worse.

I look at her. She has no collar around her neck...which means they don't know she's a meta.

"You can leave anytime you want to. Just burn off all those chains and bars and just walk out? Why are you still here until now?" I ask.

"You curious?" She smirks.

I snap my fingers in front of her eyes. "Come on Autumn, snap out of it!"

"Oh my gosh! That's what the woman said earlier! Oh yeah her name's...E...Elizabeth?"

I wave my hand in front of her face. "Why are you still here? Why not just leave?"

She blinks her eyes and the fog disappears, there we go...not even drugs can keep her down...I guess.

"I hate this place, I really, really hate this damned place. You know every night, I listen to the screaming of the insane men to lull me to sleep. It's too dark…too gross...you know that feeling, when it's so cold, so hopeless...that feeling...bounces off the walls of this place."

I've noticed.

"Being stuck in that empty cell...just gives me the feeling of being burned in hell. You know that feeling?"

I look down. "No." I answer honestly.

"Well, I've felt that feeling...the feeling of no hope, no light, no joy, the feeling of burning everyday on the inside...I know that feeling, and damn…it hurts...so much. I've felt that feeling at least...once in my life, maybe twice or thrice...but when that feeling faded from time to time...it made me feel better. But here!"

She pauses and stares into my eyes seriously. She's knows what she's saying.

"Here! Aw, hell. I get that feeling every single goddamned day! The feeling of just wanting to die! And just kill myself! And to just stop thinking about the consequences! I get that feeling every time I wake up and open my eyes! And god, do you know the stench of hopelessness just fills the entire damn asylum! It fills my lungs everyday!"

She just stares into my soul as she talks.

"I HATE THIS PLACE! And I always think about leaving this place! Everytime I wake up, wishing to be somewhere else, but then when I open my eyes...I'm in that rotten jail cell!" She nearly stands up, and I shuffle in my seat.

"We both know that you can get out anytime you want." I cock my head. "So why don't you?"

She sits and leans back on her seat, the chains on her wrists cling as she looks down.

"I worked hard to get here, from juvie, to the rehab, to right here."

So she's been potentially killing all those people?

"Don't get me wrong, I am insane. Sometimes, I just lose it."

"Lose what?"

"Control. Over my mind, over my actions. Sometimes I just kill, no matter who it is...no matter the consequences." She looks up at me. "Sometimes...rage just, takes over. Sometimes Phoenix just doesn't care."

For a minute I thought I saw something else in her...but I don't know what it is.

"Don't think that I'm just faking my insanity just to get into Arkham."

"Don't worry." I say "I don't think that at all. But why? This place...it's no place for a twelve year old. Why would you even try to get in here? Why not go to an orphanage or something?"

"And just leave my brother alone?" So she's here for Jason...

She looks at me with hard eyes. "I guess…" I say looking down. "No! I...I Promised. I'm keeping that promise, even though he didn't keep his." She looks down, emphasizing that she doesn't want to talk anymore. Almost instantly, her head jerks back up, and I can see the insanity in her eyes.

"GO AWAY! LEAVE! I DON'T WANNA SEE YOUR DAMN FACE!" She says coldheartedly. Then she looks back down.

I nod and stand up. I narrow my eyes at her. She's still my enemy. Nothing will change that. The door swings open and I walk out.

**Damian's POV**

I walk in, passing by Carter as she exits.

I step in and the door locks behind me. I told the guards not to come in with me. I don't need some weaklings trying to protect me. I can fend for myself.

I take a look at my old friend who just recently looked up and smirked at me.

"Woah, three visits in a day, new record!" She says and I walk towards the seat and sit down. Her jumpsuit is like any other jumpsuit, although her sleeves are also rolled back, much like Todd's.

"So, whatcha here for, Dami?"

"A question."

She lowers her eyelids and stares at me. "I already told Carter what she wanted. I'm not gonna tell you anymore."

I lean forward and take a closer look at her face. Her eyes are are hard and cold, but somehow is still reflecting the light of the dim lightbulb.

Her skin looks soft and white like the day I met her. Her hair still looks soft and shiny, a bit wavy with the line cutting in the middle, although it's quite messy...somehow, it still seems neat…

She's giving me a bored stare. I feel like I could stand up and leave and forget that this encounter ever happened. But I have gone this far. I cannot turn back now.

"No, Autumn. I have a different question." Her eyelids widen a little, looking more interested.

"What do you wanna know?" She asks, now raising her eyebrow and leaning back.

"Why did you kiss Drake? Why would you show him any affection? Do you...like him?!" Her smirk grows in amusement and she shakes her head.

"Hmmm, are you jealous Dami?" My eyes widen and I lean back and cross my arms.

"What! No! Why would I be jealous of that...that imbecile!" I say and she chuckles lightly, making it sound almost like a light giggle.

"Really? Cause it seems to me that-"

"Just answer the question, Autumn!" Why do I feel comfortable talking to the...enemy?

"Heh, okay, okay." She says, sounding like her old self again. The Autumn that I knew…

She sighs. "Yeah Dami, I like Drake." She says seriously and I jump off my chair. I would topple it over if it wasn't stuck to the ground.

"WHAT! I WILL...I WILL KILL THAT-"

She chuckles. "Gotcha!" I glare at her and sit back down. "You should have seen your face!" She laughs. I glare at her.

"Autumn, I am serious. Do you like Drake?"

She leans back, pulling the chains, but she doesn't seem bothered by the chains. "It was less than a peck. It meant nothing." She says smiling at me. I cannot tell if she is messing with me, or if she does or does not have any affection for Drake.

"But why did you kiss him? If you don't like him?" She rolls her eyes.

"I'm twelve Dami, and so are you. I'm not looking for a soulmate." She didn't say 'yet.'

"Drake is like, fourteen! I don't see why the 'kiss' would matter to him." She says.

Oh, the 'peck' matters to him very much. It does to me too.

"But you still kissed him!"

"It meant nothing." She repeats. "Why does it matter to you anyway?"

"No reason...just being, a...a...friend, that is all." She smirks at my answer.

"It means nothing." She says.

I can't tell if she's telling the truth…girls...they're so confusing.

"Really?" I lean forward. "I don't believe you." I'm truly not convinced.

She's just about a meter away from me. Somehow, even in that orange jumpsuit, she still looks...neat. She even looks and smells quite nice. I do not understand how...she is able to keep on a certain glow even in this dark place. Maybe it is her smile? Or her white teeth? Or her slightly wavy hair? (Well, her bangs are mostly wavy, curling up on the sides of her face, like her brother's. But her bangs are much longer, of course.)

She chuckles. "My time in this room is going to be up soon, so I can't really explain anymore. But…"

She leans forward...and her soft lips land on my right cheek. The hair in the back of my nape stands, my eyes widen, and my mind breaks in half as I feel her cool, soft lips on my cheek.

Then the softness disappears and she leans back and smiles at me as my mouth drops.

"I thought you could use one." She smiles at me. "Now you and Tim are even." She says, still smirking.

"Di...di...s...gu...gu...st…i...i...ng." I cannot finish my word, but I don't wipe my face.

She smiles. "Whatever." Guards from the other door come in.

"Leave now." One of the guards tell me. I stand up and walk towards the other door still with my mouth wide open.

I encounter Carter.

"Damian! What did she tell you?! And why is your mouth wide open?!" She asks me.

"Damian? Damian?" Her voice starts to become distant as she repeatedly pokes my shoulder. "Damian? Earth to Damian?"

She stops poking me and cups her hands around her mouth. "Yo Damian!" She yells in my ear and I blink my eyes and look at her.

"Well? What did she tell you?"

I rub my ear. "Never do that again, Carter." I threaten and she rolls her eyes.

"What did she tell you?"

I touch my cheek. "Nothing. Let's get back to Father." I say, starting to walk down the hall.

"Um...dad's the other way." I turn around, still holding my cheek.

"Right. I obviously knew that." I say, and Chris rolls her eyes again.

Wow. Now I have a story for Drake. I smirk as we walk down the hallway.

When we reach the door, I can hear a lot of yelling. One of the guards opens the door, and we step inside. A yelling Todd is being dragged away, and Father is just standing there, watching him.

"I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU EVER AGAIN!"

Father bows his head slightly, then turns to Carter and me. He walks to us, and places one hand on my shoulder and the other one on Carter's.

"Let's go." He says rather grimly.

**Chris' POV**

Dad ushers us out of the room and we walk down the hallway. We are about to turn a corner when I remember something...something about when we were walking into Arkham. Someone I noticed when I was exploring with my eyes. It's too late to switch sides with Damian...

We turn the corner, and I turn my head to the right. I find myself staring at a mad clown whose crazed eyes are staring back at me. I shudder a bit. I've only seen The Joker this close once before...a few months before I was adopted. I'm pulled back into that horrible memory.

"Basty's not gonna save you this time, girly." The Joker chuckles in my face, spitting on me a bit. Disgusting. Wait, how does he know Batman's saved me before?

I can't say anything. I can't do anything. I'm gagged and chained to a tilted platform, so I'm almost standing perfectly straight.

"Well, actually...I want him to come and play! And you, girly, are my BAIT!"

I've never been this scared before...this fear rising inside of me...it's overwhelming. And that clown's creepy face isn't helping.

"You are _pretty_ for bait...well I've used prettier to get Batman to come out of his cave, but I guess I'll just have to settle with you." He sighs, then reaches out to touch my face. I try to push my face away from his hand as far as I can, but I can't go any further. His hand is just a centimeter away from my face when one of his henchmen is taken out. The Joker pulls his hand away abruptly and turns on his heels.

"Batsy! You've decided to join the party! Did you bring Bird Boy? Oh wait... I KILLED HIM! HAHAHAHAHA!"

Batman emerges from the shadows and takes down the rest of the thugs. I can't see the entire thing because my vision is blocked by the clown's messy mop of green hair. Batman slowly approaches The Joker, his long cape trailing behind him.

"Let. Her. Go."

"But where's the fun in that? C'mon Batsy! Put on a smile! This is a party! A death party for your little sidekick."

Batman steps closer to The Joker as the madman continues talking.

"Awww...you still aren't smiling. Maybe one more death will do the trick!" He pulls out a knife, and at first I think he's talking about Batman.

"Touch her and you will regret it." Oh...he meant me. BATMAN! CAN'T YOU CALL NIGHTWING TO GET ME OUTTA THIS MESS WHILE YOU HANDLE THE JOKER! ARE YOU GONNA HELP ME OR JUST HAVE A LITTLE TEA PARTY WITH THE CLOWN?!

"I've never heard that one before!" Joker says, skipping forward and rolling his eyes. At that moment, Batman punches him in the face. The Joker stumbles backwards, the knife in his hand is only inches away from my stomach.

Joker recovers and starts swiping his knife at Batman. Batman ducks and swipes his foot on the ground, causing The Joker to lose his balance and fall to the floor. He picks Joker up by his shirt.

"You're going back to Arkham where you belong."

"Oh not just yet, Batsy!" He swings his arm back, and the cold blade rips my shirt, penetrates my skin, and enters my body. I want to scream, the pain is too much...the most pain I have ever felt. But somehow, I'm able to keep it in... I shut my eyes and I scream inside my head as tears fall down my cheeks.

AAAAAAAAHHHHHH! THAT HURTS SOOO MUCH! SOMEONE HELP ME! STOP THE PAIN! GET THIS THING OUT OF ME! NOW! BATMAN! HELP!

I open my eyes again. The Joker rips the blade out of me as Batman drops him. I want to scream even more. I look down and see the crimson liquid spilling out of my body as Joker crawls away.

I look back up and see Batman's wide eyes. He rushes over to me and starts to release me from my bonds. Surprisingly, Joker isn't doing anything to stop him. I look over in his direction and he places something on the floor. At first I don't know what it is, but then I hear ticking. A bomb.

"Well...I gotta run! Maybe this time, you'll die in the explosion! First Bird Boy, then Batman! I must be the luckiest man in the world!" And with that, he runs out of...wherever we are.

"You'll be okay...you'll be okay..." Batman keeps repeating as he releases me. He takes out my gag and carries me. My head is leaning on his shoulder as he holds me. I can tell that he's using his suit to stop the blood flow of my stab wound, since my side is being pressed onto him as we run out of the building. I wince at the pain, but I try my best to ignore it.

Instead of watching the building slowly fading in front of me, I look down and watch Batman's dark cape flap up and down as he runs. Suddenly, orange fills my vision, but it's immediately replaced by black. The black of Batman's cape.

We were far enough from the building that we didn't end up being pushed away by the explosion. Wow. He runs fast.

The last thing I remember is Batman lying me down onto the prickly grass and treating my stab wound before I black out.

I also remember my fear dying down when I was in Batman's arms. I felt safe. Batman has always protected me from harm. Even before I was adopted by Bruce Wayne, Batman was like the father figure in my life.

I blink, and the memory fades away. I find myself facing the freak clown in his cell.

"Why are you so familiar? Maybe you should be my first victim once I break out of this place! HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

I feel Bruce's grip on my shoulder tighten as he pulls me closer to him, sort of like a protective hug.

"Stay away from my daughter." Bruce threatens, and the guards step in front of me.

"No promises! HAHAHAHA!" He continues laughing as we walk away from his cell.

I know he was probably only trying to scare me. He sees me as some helpless girl with a rich daddy. He probably thinks that I see myself as a spoiled princess who has everything in the world. But he's wrong.

If he actually meant what he said...if he's going to come after me once he breaks out just because I'm _familiar_, then he's just asking for a death wish.

I can protect myself. My brothers will protect me. Dad will protect me. Batman will protect me.


	19. His Fault

**Chapter 19: His Fault**

**Autumn's POV**

The guards push me into the dark cell, and I fall on my knees as they lock the heavy door behind me.

I crawl up in a ball and stare at the empty floor. I can escape any time I want, but I don't wanna escape Arkham. I'm gonna stay here, maybe until the day I die...okay maybe I'm exaggerating a bit...just until I can fix Jason.

I turned myself in, and made my way up the insanity level just to be brought to Arkham. Why? Because I'm not leaving my brother...ever. No matter what, because he's my brother, and he's all I've got. I'll try to fix him. But if I can't at all...then I'll have to stay here until the day I die...but I know that my big brother's in there somewhere...he just needs to break out.

But until then, I'm staying here….and not moving my ass out of the asylum.

But being alone in this cell…it's driving me more insane. The cell is empty, with a small bed with a hard pillow and a small blanket. There's a tiny washroom, but that's it. There's nothing I can do to kill my boredom. I really hate being alone...I've come to begging someone out there just to make something interesting happen.

But nothing happens...I just sit here, staring at the wall. Thinking about life, trying to keep the bit of sanity I have left and not end up like that psychopath that's just down the long hallway full of freaks, to the left, locked up real tight.

He'll get out of here one day, and he'll kill everyone.

I still remember how weak I felt, when I looked at my dad's face when he died. How angry I was when I found out that Nico died because The Joker was playing with some guns with some other guy, who's still unknown to me, up till now.

The Joker ruined everything. If he didn't kill my dad, I would have never been alone. If he didn't kill my little brother, my mom wouldn't have committed suicide. If he didn't kill my big brother, Jason would never have to be here at all!

The people I hate the most...The Joker's easily number one...obviously.

Batman's next.

Ryan Cross is last. Even if he is dead. As time passed by, I've learned to hate my own dad. If he could have seen the future then why did he not warn me!? I HATE HIM! I HATE HIM! I HATE RYAN! HE DIDN'T CARE! THAT'S WHY HE LET HIMSELF DIE! SO THAT HE COULD TORTURE ME AND LEAVE ME ALONE! TRAINING, AND THE WAR, WAS JUST A STUPID EXCUSE FOR HIM TO LEAVE ME ALONE!

I punch the ground with my hands over and over again.

But...why did he train me? If the war was just an excuse, why did he train me? If he didn't care, then why didn't he just let me join the war and let me die?

Maybe...he did care?

No, I don't think so. He was just using me because he knew that I was going to end the war...but that was all he needed me for. If he did care, then he would have stopped all this and fight the war with me. If he did care, then he wouldn't have left me all alone to train in the All Caste. If he did care…THEN HE WOULDN'T HAVE LEFT!

I HATE HIM! HE DIDN'T WANT ME? THEN I DON'T WANT HIM EITHER! IF HE HATED ME SO MUCH, THAT HE WANTED TO TORTURE ME LIKE THIS, THEN WHY DIDN'T HE JUST KILL ME AND END IT!

I think...I know why...because of the war, maybe. But I'm still angry at him.

I blind myself with thinking that he did love me because he saved me from The Joker, and sacrificed his life for mine...but my dad didn't love me. He only saved me because he knew that I was the only one who was going to end the war. He saw the future...that's why he trained me. He didn't care about me. He only used me so that we could win the war...but that wasn't it.

Dad, didn't care...he didn't want me at all, but he needed me to win the stupid war! That's why he kept me and trained me all my life! He left because he didn't want to be there to help me face The Unknown...because he didn't wanna help me! Because he hated me!

He always told me to be perfect, with my studies and my training. Hell, he taught me how to speak when I was two! I learned the basics when I was only beginning to walk!

When he told me that he needed me to be strong...when he said that he also didn't like that one rule of attaching myself to nobody and to nothing...HE WAS LYING! Just to make me agree with him and let him take me all around the world!

IT'S HIS FAULT! ALL FROM THE BEGINNING! HE PLANNED IT ALL! HE PLANNED MY LIFE! HE KNEW WHAT I WAS GOING TO GO THROUGH BUT HE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT! I HATE HIM SO MUCH!

I let the tiny tears fall as I sob softly and punch the ground.

"I HATE YOU DAD." He hated me, so I hate him.

I continue to sob like that for some time until I get tired and crawl back into a ball and start to hiccup.

I calm down and lay on the ground, even if the bed is only a foot away. I stare at the dark ceiling.

"I...I hate you...all of you…"

I roll, not caring how dirty I am, just by lying on the floor. "Why can't I just die!?" People think that they are living the hard life, but they've got it wrong. When they say that, they don't know how the real world really is. They haven't really opened their eyes to the horror of life. They haven't lived through poverty...they didn't fight in a war, or go through hell and back... they weren't marked as insane…

Other kids my age out there...they have families, friends, a school, great food, a warm home...

While other kids have no home, no food, no parents, nothing...they're forced to walk alone as the rain pours. But none of them have gone through what I have. Most of them just die out of hunger, or maybe they got lucky and got shot by a druggie...they're not forced to fight in a war. They're not insane. They don't stay in an asylum like this one.

Carter, she's lucky...she has all she needs, and all that she wants...she has everything. Okay, maybe she doesn't have _everything_...that she lives like some kind of princess in some magical castle far far away from here. I mean that...compared to me...she has it all.

I wanna see how it's like to live her life...how great her life is compared to mine. That means switching lives...I don't wanna switch lives with her...no. Sure, we'll exchange lives, and I'll get what she has...but that would mean she'll get what I have: nothing. I don't want anyone, not even her, to feel the pain I felt, the pain I'm feeling. It's wrong.

But sometimes...when I think of other people...the scumbags...I feel like I wanna drag them all down with me and just crush them all under my boot, just so all the innocent can run free. Just so no one else can feel the pain I felt, the coldness of being alone.

I stare at the ceiling, as my own harsh voice whispers in my ear.

_KILL THEM…KILL THEM ALL. MAKE THEM FEEL THE PAIN YOU FELT! TAKE THEM ALL DOWN WITH ME!_

But my soft, younger voice whispers back. "_No, it's wrong."_ The younger voice says simply.

Then more whispers add to the two voices. The whispers seem to scream in my ears. They're all over my head, scattered around the place...turning my mind into some kind of maze or pool for thoughts.

The whispers become louder and louder, millions of voices in my ears...as if ghosts are standing right beside me, yelling at me. I can't even understand the thoughts anymore. The thoughts are just a bunch of messed up words.

My eyes become wider as the ceiling gets higher and farther, and the world starts to spin.

I lift my hand, trying to touch the swirly thing in the ceiling. It looks so real...I can feel the world around me spin.

Is this a dream? Or is this for real? It's hard to tell, ever since I was locked up here. I can no longer tell the difference between reality and a nightmare. The boundaries between the two disappeared. So, the events that happen in this place are sometimes real to me, and sometimes a nightmare.

That talk with Carter earlier, I thought it was real, but that little kiss I put on Damian's cheek and the conversation that we shared felt like a nightmare. Or was it real?

I can no longer tell the difference between a nightmare and reality...I don't think it matters anymore...they're both the same to me anyways. There's no need to find out the difference between the two.

****Break****

**Bruce's POV**

It's only been two days since the visit. The way Jason looked at me with wide eyes, the way he screamed in my face telling me that he hated me, the way my own son looked at me with eyes full of hatred.

I miss the old Jason. The fifteen year old kid that liked to disobey every order I gave him, the reckless and arrogant kid, the teen that tried so hard to live up to the mantle and tried so hard in his studies just to make me proud.

He was arrogant, brash, fearless, but he was my son…and he was alive. Now he's...dead. That Jason, under the hood, the Jason that was screaming at me in the asylum…that's not him.

But he's there. My son's there somewhere...I just need to bring him out and take him home and fix him. I won't give up.

I'll bring him home…

But now there's this. Whatever has happened to him, to his mind...I need to fix him, he's even more broken…

When I visited him in Arkham...he just kept yelling at me, I tried to get him to talk to me, but he didn't listen. He just kept telling me that he hated me. What set him off? Why did he suddenly, fall apart?

What happened to him? Was it because of reliving his past experience of dying and coming back? That traumatizing moment of his? Is that his greatest fear?

I get off my bed and walk to my desk, where an old letter in an envelope lays. I only stare at the letter.

****Break****

**Jason's POV**

I'm still stuck in this damn cell.

With that memory replaying over and over again in my head.

The crowbar, the blood, the explosion, the laughs, everything! I remember it all! I remember dying and waking up in a coffin six feet underground and digging myself out. I remember being thrown in a pit of green, then finally opening my eyes to the truth.

BATMAN DIDN'T AVENGE ME! HE DIDN'T CARE! HE DIDN'T CARE AT ALL!

"BATMAN!" I yell.

Bruce was my dad, he cared about me, and took me in. I did anything I could just to make him proud!

I thought that before I died...at first, I was really hoping that he would come and bring me back home and everything would go back to normal...then I started to wonder if he really was coming...until I knew he wasn't coming and I was going to die with that bomb with my own birth mother sitting by the door with every inch of my body broken...but I thought…I thought that he would've avenged me.

That I would have been a good enough son to actually be avenged. But I wasn't! I was just a damn failure! A stupid mistake! I was just Bruce's greatest failure, and that's all I ever will be to him...a failure!

_You know I thought...I thought...I'd be the last one you'd ever let him hurt…_

I still remember saying that...how he just stood there staring at me, and did nothing!

Just like when I died! He didn't save me, he didn't avenge me! HE DID NOTHING!

But...he tried to save me...heart and soul.

_I know I failed you Jason, but I tried to save you...I...I'm trying to save you now…_

I know he's trying to help me...BUT I DON'T NEED HIS DAMN HELP! NOT ANYMORE!

I don't want his help! I don't need it!

HE DOESN'T CARE! HE DIDN'T CARE! HE'S ONLY PRETENDING TO CARE BECAUSE OF ALL THE THINGS I'VE DONE! ALL THE DEATHS I'VE CAUSED!

He never cared! I'm not his son! He made that decision when he didn't kill that mad man! When he threw me here in Arkham! When he let me die in the first place!

IT'S ALL HIS FAULT! I HATE HIM! I'M NEVER GOING HOME! NO MATTER WHAT HE SAYS!

I punch the wall as I scream.

_I'm not talking about killing Penguin, or Scarecrow, or Dent! I'm talking about him! Just him! And doing it because...because he took me away from you…_

When I said that, I remember just wanting for him to pull the damn trigger and take me back home…

_I can't, I'm sorry, I just can't._

When he told me that...my world just broke apart. He'd just chose his code, over his son.

I remember...one night while patrolling on the East Side, I saw Batman...someone was standing beside him, a figure...I took a closer look and found out that it was Robin...a new kid. A replacement.

I remember, wanting to go home.

But now...I don't care anymore.

I should just move on with life. Bruce didn't kill Joker. I'm angry, hurt, betrayed, but I need to move on and forget about it, and stop caring about it. But...for some reason, I can't get over the thought that I'm forgetting something…

Something's missing…

Something's lost…


	20. Happy Birthday to Me

**Chapter 20: Happy Birthday to Me**

**Dick's POV**

We enter the house with plastic bags in our hands. It's August 7...meaning school is starting in just a few weeks. Originally, we were going to buy school supplies, but I realized that their school starts in two weeks, so it's probably a little too early. Instead, we went uniform shopping.

Tim, Chris, and Damian are all 1 school year apart. Tim is going into high school, Chris is beginning 8th grade, and Damian is entering 7th grade. And at this age, they are all growing...a lot. I remember when school ended last year, Chris was constantly pulling down her skirt and complaining, "It's waaay too short! I don't need the attention of pervs!"

I still can't believe I didn't suspect that Chris knew mature words...everyone found out about a week after her visit to Arkham with Bruce and Damian. We were walking to an evening charity event when suddenly I heard a thud next to me. Apparently Chris tripped.

She yelled, "Awww crap," although it was slightly muffled by her fall. In our shock, we didn't notice a random guy come up behind Chris.

"Hey, don't worry. I'll help you up." It was kinda dark, so I could only make out the figure of the guy with the gruff and slightly creepy voice. He was fat.

He reached down to help her up, but Chris turned her body and slapped the guy's arms away from her.

"Damn perverted pedophiles. I wish they'd just piss off." She whispered loud enough for Bruce and I to hear, although I don't think she wanted us to. Then she kicked the guy in the balls, and he ran off, holding his groin.

She turned to us and, seeing the shocked looks on our faces, realized that we heard her.

"Did you just say piss off?" Bruce asked in a strict tone.

"Whoops," she said in a guilty tone.

The entire time we were in the uniform store, Damian was ranting about uniforms and schools and how he isn't a slave and whatever. Chris seemed okay with it all, although she kept trying on skirts. Apparently, they have different lengths for the skirts and she needs a "specific length." Girls. Tim barely grew so we didn't have to buy much for him. Chris is only 2 inches shorter than Tim. I wonder when he will have his big growth spurt...if he didn't have it already.

We are greeted by Alfred when we walk in, and he offers to take our clothes upstairs, like any regular butler would do. But we all know Alfred isn't just a regular butler. We refused his kind offer, and we all just stood there together.

"You've all gotten me a birthday present, right?" Chris asks.

"Why do I need to get _you _a birthday present? Girls shouldn't receive presents. They should be the ones to give _us _presents."

"Because I'm your sister and you love me...well... And since you're not getting me anything, I won't get you that Call of Duty game you still don't have for _your _birthday."

Damian stares at her with eyes full of hatred. Not strong hatred, just sibling hatred. He let out a grunt.

"Fine. I'll get you a stupid birthday present."

"How 'bout you?" She turned to Tim.

"Yea I got you something. I don't know if you'll like it though."

"It's probably a love letter." Damian teases, and both Chris and I elbow him. Tim starts blushing.

"Ignore him. I'm sure Chris will love what you give her." I say.

"Anyway...avoiding that awkwardness, what did you get me, Dick?" She turns to me.

"And why would I tell you?" I say, leaning down so my face is closer to hers.

"Dunno, thought you loved me enough to tell me ahead of time..."

"What kind of reason is that?"

"Just some random reason I came up with, because even if I put thought into it, you wouldn't tell me."

"Ok then. You'll find out on your birthday, at your party."

"Couldn't you come up with something more exciting than inviting all of your friends over and just playing around the manor and watching movies and all the stuff girls do." Damian asks.

"For your information, I invited guys to the party too. And yes, I had plenty of ideas, but not many of my friends have been here. Also, should I invite some of our friends?"

"You mean like Cassie and Beast Boy? I guess you could...just as long as they don't accidentally start talking about missions we've all had together." Tim states. I can see a blush starting to surface again. Cassie...another girl he kinda has a thing for.

"Alright, we'd better start our homework. Bruce will be home soon, and then we have to go on patrol." Tim continues. He and Damian, rather reluctantly, head up the stairs. I expect Chris to go follow them, but she just stands here next to me. I feel like she wants to tell me something important.

When the two of them are out of sight, Chris turns to me.

"I've been meaning to ask you..." Oh God what is it? "...why is your name Dick? Did our parents hate you or something? I don't mean to be rude or anything to our parents."

"What?" I was _not_ expecting that...

"Well you know what dick means right? Your thingamabob. So your name is actually _that_...meaning if I said 'Hey...thingy! How was school?' you should respond. I don't really wanna say the exact name so... How did Dick even become the nickname for Richard? Is it like a stereotype for all people named Richard to be dicks? Why-"

"Where the hell is this coming from?!"

"Oh I've always meant to ask you. It's always been in my mind. I just thought 'Hey! Maybe I should ask my brother that question I've been meaning to ask him for a while!' a few minutes ago, so here we are! Having this conversation."

"Ummm..." I'm speechless.

"So anyway, if you're uncomfortable with me calling you Dick since we are having this conversation, or maybe because I'm a girl and something in that weird mind of yours makes a girl calling you Dick awkward, I can call you Richard. Maybe Richie...no. It just doesn't _feel _right, ya know? Like how certain people look like they should be named something different?" Chris raises an eyebrow. "So why did our parents hate you so much that they gave you a name whose nickname is an inappropriate word?"

"Um...wait, our parents didn't hate me! It just kinda happened! I don't know why they named me Richard! It's a nice name, okay! It just so happens that the nickname is..._that_..." I know she's just kidding, but the fact that she even suggested that my parents hate me kinda hurt, especially since their death anniversary is coming up. I think I raised my voice a little too much.

Chris' eyes widen slightly. "I'm not sure if your tone suggests annoyance because of the whole 'my name means penis' thing or the fact that I mentioned mom and dad...so close to their death anniversary, which also happens to be the day I was born." Then she sighs, but so softly that I barely hear it. "Sorry, Dick." At first, her apology for something that she didn't intend to do is meaningful, but shortly after she says that phrase, a smile starts tugging at her lips. I can't help but smile back.

"It's okay, sis. You didn't mean it. It's just that my..._our _parents...is a sensitive subject."

"If you want, you don't have to celebrate my birthday with me and you can just wallow in the corner of your darkened room."

I pull her into a hug. "Are you kidding? Of course I want to celebrate your birthday with the rest of the family. If I didn't, then you wouldn't be able to receive your awesome present."

She tightens her grip on me. "Ha. Thanks. I love you Dick."

"I love you too." I close my eyes, allowing myself to enjoy the moment of temporary bliss.

****Break****

**Autumn's POV**

I sit here on the chair having one another of those therapy sessions and for some reason...I"m happy. Maybe because I saw Harley bite off a woman's ear...literally.

I'm humming the tune of pop goes the weasel, it's stuck in my head and I don't know why...but I cock my head side to side, swaying it...I have a small grin as I hum and I close my eyes remembering the face of a mad man.

The voice of the doctor is distant and all I can hear is my own happy humming.

"Autumn! Autumn! Are you listening?!" I open my eyes and stop swaying my head and look at the doctor.

I blink my eyes and smile. "OMG...did you just ruin my mojo?" I say with wide eyes and a small grin as I stand up. "I...I was in the zone! You pulled me out of the zone!" I let out a quick laugh.

"You'll pay." I cock my head and smile.

The doctor moves backwards. "Why are you going to kill me?" She asks and I shrug.

"Cause, I'm bored…" My tiny smile returns and I move towards her. "And you're boring...so, I'm gonna kill you now, okay?" I tell her like an innocent girl would talk to a random stranger to do something for her.

****Break****

The last thing I remember are guards pulling me towards the cell, and a headless body with a blown off head, somehow...I got a hold of an explosive...cool!

I just sit on the floor staring at nothing...listening to the screams and the yelling all around me, and the whispers in my ears. I dart my eyes around and find shadows on the four walls moving around me.

The shadows turn and move around, dancing in the dark with only a little light coming from outside the door.

I blink once and the shadows disappear, returning to just one shadow, my shadow.

It's been days...weeks...months? I don't know...I haven't counted. There's no clock, no calendar, no window to tell me that it's morning, afternoon, or evening.

I hardly ever sleep now, not because of the hard bed or the stench of hopelessness, or even the yelling of insanity surrounding me, or the shadows that tend to dance on the walls night after night...nothing in this cell bothers me...but nightmares...and my own thoughts.

Not illusions, illusions of happiness, of love, of caring...illusions don't really bother me in this cell. Dreams, and nightmares.

I never liked sleeping, because I hate dreams and nightmares...but now, even when I'm awake, the nightmares still come to get me.

I would say that 'I wanna go home.' But as long as my big brother is staying here, I'm not going anywhere.

I've seen my brother here in Arkham. When he passes by my cell, I peek through the bars of the metal door's window and I look at him as he is being shoved towards the therapy room...I've seen how insane he is. His eyes are always wide, his hair is extremely messy now, and I can see right into his broken soul. One time, I overheard some of his doctors talking about him. They said that during his last session...when they asked him if he knew that what he did was wrong...he only laughed in their faces, a hard cold laugh.

Sometimes, I can hear his screams, since his cell is only down the hall. I can hear him yelling during his therapy sessions whenever I listen hard enough.

I haven't tried to talk to him. It could be pointless since he already pointed a gun to my head. He'll probably just push me away. But I have to try.

Eliza came...she asked me to get out before Arkham gets to me. But I told her "TOO LATE!"

And I also told her that I wasn't leaving without my brother.

"He's all I've got left...I'm not going to lose Jase." I said with a tiny voice.

I lean on the wall staring at the door. Suddenly, I hear loud noises, explosions, gun shots...crying, screaming...wailing. The war is still burned in my head…

I think of The Unknown, that meta, the one who evolved...who had telekinesis...how much I was out of control in my own body. How he nearly killed me.

Nearly broke every bone in my body, after burning him to the ground and standing above him...I remember the world turning, but somehow I still made it to the escape pod. Burning in that pod, crashing down...with all those broken bones plus the dizziness from over using my abilities...I don't know how I survived.

But those people, the ones that captured me and put me in a van...they were wearing something a little different from the original uniform. And if they were the enemy, why didn't they just kill me when I was unconscious? They were the ones who patched me up...but why?

After destroying the van and killing everyone in it...everything was hazy already...the world spinning, my stomach churning...I don't understand how I could have survived life on the streets...and how had I gotten to a computer shop with all my injuries?

I shake my head. I remember some kind of clinic, and I remember leaving without meeting the person that owned the clinic...I remember feeling better after leaving that clinic, and as nights passed when I was on the streets...the world stopped turning.

I don't understand.

I can see a shadow in front of my door, and it unlocks. Maybe here comes another pointless session of therapy. I like therapy sessions, because when the guards comes...I like to mess with them and sometimes I like to lash out and kick them in the most painful part just to make their jobs much more difficult.

But when the door opens...I don't see a bunch of guards or a doctor. Jason stands, holding the door, with less wider eyes.

I've seen him hurt anyone near him. He could be dangerous...and I'm not going to fight back if he does attack.

I move back, away from the door.

"Autumn." He says emotionlessly, walking into the cell with a blank face.

"What are you doing here?" I ask.

"Why are you here?" He asks, dropping onto the floor in front of me. "Why did you turn yourself in?"

I move forward and sit down right in front of my big brother.

"How did you find out?"

He furrows his eyebrows, as if he's trying to remember. "Someone...told me…"

"Answer my question. We both know that you can break out anytime you want...so why don't you?" He still doesn't look at me.

"Because you're here. I won't leave because...you're my brother." I say. "And...you're my only family now...I never leave my family, not anymore. Not again." I look down at the floor, remembering my mom, my brother, my dad. Jason's my family…I get it now...but he's all I've got left...no one else.

"You know you can't stay here forever. You won't last long." He nearly whispers.

"No, I probably won't. I've gone through worse."

He lets out a small chuckle. "I have too."

"But I'm not leaving…"

"Why?"

"Because...I promised." He shoots his head at me. "I'll admit, bro. I'm a little...scared...this place is crazy freaky...and I hate it here...the stench of hope dying...the cold feeling consuming...every day, and every night here just makes things worse...this place, it's slowly breaking my mind more than I would like to admit. But I'm staying right here, for God knows how long...I'm only leaving when you're ready to go. No man gets left behind."

I tell him, rubbing my eyes as I look down at the floor.

"I'm sorry kid." He says.

I look at him, into my brother's eyes and see him slowly coming back. "You owe me one." He smiles a bit, but I can still see something wrong in his face.

I'm gonna claim his debt just a little later once we walk down the hall and pass by a certain cell.

I'm gonna make sure he doesn't do something that even I really wanna do. But it's for his own good...by that I mean his mentality.

"C'mon Jay-bird." Cool, I made a new nickname for him.

"Don't call me that." Or maybe it isn't exactly a new nickname...

**Chris' POV**

Two tombstones.

My birthday is both one of the happiest and one of the saddest days of the year.

My brother crouches in front of the tombstones, and I stand behind him, just staring at the names engraved into the stones.

John and Mary Grayson.

Dick stands up, signaling the end of the visit, and we head back to his car. I take one last glance at the tombstones of the parents I had always thought abandoned me. I found out I was wrong, and that I was parentless because of injustice.

"Happy birthday to me..." I whisper. It's August 11.

****Break****

"Happy birthday to me!" I yell, nearly causing Bruce to fall off of the ladder.

"Why are there so many decorations?" Tim asks as he comes up next to where I'm standing.

"I really don't know. Dad, why did you get so many decorations?"

"I didn't want _this _many...blame your brother for that." Bruce replies as he slowly steps down from the ladder. The sign he just put up says 'Happy 13th Birthday Christine!' That's a lot to put on a sign...they could've removed my name, or at least shortened it...or maybe even removed the '13th.'

"What time is it?" I ask.

Alfred, who just came out of the kitchen with snacks, turns to the wall clock I'm to lazy to turn my head to look at. "2:58. Guests will be arriving soon."

Suddenly, a song pops into my head. Haha...a song that Damian despises, but kinda fits into the situation. Might as well start singing, since he should be coming down soon.

"Hehe..." I start humming the beginning part.

"Haha!" Dick starts laughing. He understands, I think. He moves to the door.

"_The window is open, so's that door_." At that moment, Dick opens the door as I open the window nearest to me.

"_I didn't know they did that anymore! Who knew we owned eight thousand salad plates!"_

"Oh no..." Damian says, covering his ears as he descends the stairs. Tim smiles at him. He's enjoying his pain.

"_For years I've roamed these empty halls. -_the ones over in a different wing- _Why have a ballroom with no balls! Finally they're opening up the gate! There'll be actual, real live people, _-new people, not you guys- _it'll be totally strange. But wow am I so ready for this change!"_ I hold down the note.

"Father, make her stop!" Damian complains, but Father just smiles.

"_Cause for the first time in forever, there'll be music, there'll be light _-since ya know...we're creatures of the night-" Hey that rhymes! I start moving around the room, flailing my arms everywhere and twirling around and whatnot...I probably look like a lunatic. At least Dick is joining me. "_For the first time in forever, I'll be dancing through the night. Don't know if I'm elated or gassy, but I'm somewhere in that zone. Cause for the first time in forever..."_

"No! Shut up Carter! I demand that you cease your horrid singing!"

"It's not horrid! You said it yourself once, her singing is pretty good!" Tim interjects.

"_I won't be alone. I can't wait to meet everyone. *gasp* What if I meet 'the one?' _-unless, of course, I already have." My crush suddenly comes to mind.

"What?! What do you mean you already have? Are you dating someone secretly? How do I not already know?!" Bruce suddenly interjects, but I only smile at him and continue singing.

"_Tonight imagine me gown and all,"_

"Christine Elle Grayson-Wayne, who is this boy?!" Bruce interrupts, but I ignore him.

"_Fetchingly draped against the wall. The picture of sophisticated grace...oomph."_

Bruce keeps trying to interrupt my singing, but I keep ignoring him. He finally stops when Dick approaches him and whispers something in his ear.

"_I suddenly see him standing there, a beautiful stranger tall and fair. I wanna stuff some chocolate in my face." _I put my hands over my mouth to create the muffling effect. I suddenly see a bowl of chocolates on the counter that Alfred just put out. I'm about to go to them when Alfred steps in front of me.

"Miss Christine. Don't even think about it. It is unladylike." I roll my eyes at him and continue.

"_But then we laugh and talk all evening, which is totally bizarre. Nothing like the life I've led so far... For the first time in forever, there'll be magic, there'll be fun." _I start getting dreamy eyes as I think of love...as I said before, hopeless romantic. "_For the first time in forever, I could be noticed by someone." _Again, I think of my crush. "_And I know it is totally crazy, to dream I'd find romance! But for the first time in forever, at least I've got a chance..." _

I hum the instrumental in between Anna's and Elsa's part as Damian comes up next to Father.

"Is it over? Please tell me it's over!"

"Damian, we watched the movie last night. You know it's not yet over." Tim states, a smirk on his face.

"_Don't let them in...don't let them see... _-don't listen to me, Alfred. Let them in please." I smirk. "_Be the good girl, you always have to be..._ -right Dad?- _Conceal, don't feel...put on a show! Make one wrong move and everyone will know _-don't worry, I've kept my secret identity secret for 3 years-" I say, looking at Bruce. He has a look on his face like he's trying to process something. Probably he's still thinking about what I said earlier. I move to the window and notice some cars approaching the estate.

"_But it's only for today (it's only for today!) It's agony to wait (it's agony to wait!) Tell Alfred to open up...the gate...The Gate!" _I turn to Alfred, who sighs, a smile on his face, and he presses a button on the speaker next to the door. The large black gate of the manor slowly opens for the approaching cars.

"_For the first time in forever, I'm getting what I'm dreaming of! A chance to change my lonely world! A chance to find true love! And I know it all ends tomorrow, so it has to be today! Cause for the first time in forever! For the first time in forever! Nothing's in my way! Oh!"_

At that moment, Damian gives a sigh of relief. "Finally...it's over!"

Suddenly, our first guest bursts into the room. "Is someone singing Frozen!"

"Hell yea!" I reply.

"_For the first time in forever..." _we sing in unison.

"God help me..." Damian pleads.

Even though my friend isn't the best singer, she knows when she's needed. Perfect timing. Thank God my best friend, Laurel Fray, loves to annoy her brother as much as I love to annoy mine.

****Break****

It's almost 6 o'clock. Everyone has arrived. My friends from school, including Laurel and Tim, along with some of my friends that I met because of some co op missions came. Cassie is on the couch talking to Tim. Damian is currently standing in a corner, his back against the wall as Mia is talking to him. Dick is trying to leave unnoticed through a door that leads to a different wing of the manor. Just before he closes the door, I see a flash of red hair. Barbara. Bruce is chatting with Uncle Clark...wait why is he here? I didn't invite him, Kara, or Conner. I doubt Dad invited them...

I am chatting with my group of friends. Somehow, we started talking about an incident that happened to my friend Matt.

"Admit it...you love Taylor Swift." My friend Tyler teases.

"I like her music, okay! That doesn't mean I _love _her. Besides, her music relates to everyone!"

"There's no use denying it, Matt. Luke and Laurel already told us the whole story." I state.

"You can't trust Luke! And you'll believe anything Laurel says. She's your best friend!"

"Hey, Luke is your twin brother! I don't always trust him, but I don't think he'd be joking about this. And Laurel was there when it happened. And I do not believe everything she says!"

"Back to the point. Matt, we all know you took the mic away from Laurel when you were playing that singing game and started singing 'You Belong with Me.'" Tim, my friend, says.

"THAT DOESN'T MEAN I ADORE HER OR ANYTHING OKAY!"

We all burst out laughing. We know he doesn't love Taylor Swift. We were just teasing him so he'd yell and attract attention. It worked. Everyone stops talking and looks at Matt.

"Shut up you guys..." He softly states. But we keep laughing.

After a few seconds everyone starts talking again. Everything seems fine until Cassie turns on the TV.

"Uncle Bruce..." Cassie starts.

"This is great." Tim states sarcastically.

Bruce walks over to them, and the look on Tim's face makes me approach them as well.

Bruce and I stare at the screen. Oh great... Tim turns up the volume.

"Clayface has just escaped from Arkham Asylum, and for some reason has taken on the form of two other inmates: Jason and Autumn Haywood. Police will be searching for the two." Footage from a security camera pops up and shows the two familiar faces running out of the asylum.

"Why would Clayface take on the form of two other inmates, whom I have never heard of." Laurel whispers to me.

"Maybe those two aren't familiar faces, so if people see them, they wouldn't be reported immediately." But I know there's a different reason.

"Chris, Tim. Alfred needs help in the kitchen. I think you'll also need to have Damian help you. Alfred can't do all that work on his own." Tim and I nod in response. Tim leaves Cassie and I excuse myself from my friends. I see Bruce head over to Clark.

A criminal just had to escape on my birthday...happy birthday to me...

****Break****

**Bruce's POV**

"You just had to interrupt us?" Dick complains. I happened to walk in on something...

"It's important. Besides, why are you doing it with Barbara on your sister's birthday? You should be celebrating with her." I glare at my son.

"It's been a while! You of all people should know what it feels like to be inactive for a long time. You get needy sometimes!"

"At least I know how to control myself...and the right day to do it."

We enter the kitchen.

"Oh yea...I probably should've warned you about what they were up to..." Chris says.

"You knew and you didn't care?" Dick asks.

"Well, I saw you and Barbara sneak off, and just because it's my birthday doesn't mean you have to be unhappy." She smirks, but I can also see her slightly shiver, as if she's disgusted by the topic of this conversation.

"Alright. You know why we're all here." I state.

"Yes, Father. I do not believe that Clayface is the one who escaped."

"Me too. Why would Clayface even disguise himself as them? He doesn't need to." Tim asks.

"Which is why I will investigate. Damian, you may come, but the rest of you, watch over the party and make sure no one enters the study. Clark will help the three of you."

Dick lets out a sigh, which I return with a glare. He glares back at me, and then ushers Tim and Chris out of the kitchen.

"Let's go Father. I can't wait to leave this wretched party."

****Break****

Robin and I follow the guard leading us to Jason's cell. After a few turns, the guard stops in front of one of the metal doors. He unlocks it and opens it, allowing us to enter.

"Jason." The man crouching in the corner of the dark room raises his head. He looks like Jason...he's actually looking less insane. His eyes aren't as wide as they were the last time I visited him.

"What do you want? Shouldn't you be tracking down Clayface." His voice is harsh, but not crazed...slightly calm actually. The real Jason would've added a swear word in that sentence...or started yelling in my face.

"Did you know that Clayface escaped looking like you and a fellow inmate. Do you have any idea why he would pick you two instead of your other inmates? Or maybe even a random civilian?"

"I don't have any idea why."

"Batman, this is ridiculous." Robin says as he unsheathes his sword and heads to Jason.

"Robin, what are you doing?" I ask in a stern tone.

"There's a faster way to do this." Damian stands over Jason.

"Wait, what are you doing? You wouldn't-" Robin cuts him off when his blade slices through Jason's neck.

"JASON!" I know that it's not really him, but just the sight of it...

Where there's supposed to be blood, clay flows out of the neck. The colors of Jason's head and body are replaced by the dull light brown color. The clay mushes together and slowly rises. A face forms: Clayface.

"Well well Batman, looks like you got me." Clayface says sarcastically.

"Why are you posing as Jason and Autumn Haywood?"

"Because he said that he could get me what I wanted: your destruction." A gush of clay heads towards Robin, but he moves out of the way, causing the clay to hit the wall.

"I don't have time for this." I take out my taser and shoot it at Clayface.

"AAAAAAAHHHHH!" Clayface screams as a surge of electricity courses through him. That should've caught the guards' attention.

Clayface falls to the floor, now just a lump of clay.

"We'd better go." I say. Robin nods in response.

****Break****

**Dick's POV**

"Bye! I hope you had fun!" I say to the last of Chris' friends, not including _our _friends. Uncle Clark, Kara, Conner, Cassie, Mia, Uncle Ollie, and Barbara are all in the living room watching the news. Chris is outside saying goodbye to her close friends, and Tim is standing next to me.

"It's been an hour. They should be back soon." Tim turns to the clump of superheroes. "Shouldn't you guys be heading back to your cities?"

"Well I'm not allowed to leave until Bruce comes back, meaning these two can't go either." Clark gestures to Conner and Kara.

"Red Arrow's got Star City covered." Ollie says, not taking his eyes off the screen.

"Themyscira's a long flight home, so Bruce said I could sleep over."

"He...he did?" Tim asks.

"Yup. I'll be leaving first thing in the morning."

"Oh...ok." Tim likes so many girls but is too shy to do anything...poor guy.

The door to the study opens and Bruce and Damian emerge, still in their work clothes.

"Hood is out. Clayface was just a diversion. Turns out Jason had him pose as him and Autumn, probably so their drug ring wouldn't get suspicious of the coinciding events of them getting out and Hood and Phoenix returning. Also probably to delay my search for them. Dick, Tim, go suit up. Where's Chris?" Batman says in a very serious tone.

"Outside. She's coming back." I look outside, and I can see Chris waving to the leaving cars as she walks back.

I turn back around. Tim is already headed for the study. Bruce is staring at the huddle of heroes in his living room.

"Cassie, I assume you are sleeping over?"

"Yes."

Bruce shouts. "Alfred, prepare one of the guests rooms!"

Alfred's voice echoes into the room. "There is no need to shout, Master Bruce. I can hear everything just fine through the open door!"

"Ollie and Mia, thanks for coming. Clark, you can go now." He says the second part with a hint of disgust, but Clark just rolls his eyes.

"Kara, Conner, c'mon. We're going now. Bye Bruce! Thanks for inviting us." Clark says. Kara and Conner say "Bye Dick" as they pass by my post next to the door.

"I didn't invite you..." Bruce whispers once the three of them are out the door. It doesn't matter though, they have super hearing.

Just outside the door, I hear Chris yell, "Bye Uncle Clark! Bye Kara! Bye Conner!" Then she enters.

"We should be heading out, too. We'll be in a nearby hotel. Bye Bruce." Uncle Ollie stands up, and Mia does shortly after. Mia says "Bye Damian" as she follows Ollie out the door. "Bye Dick. Bye Chris," she says to us.

"Barbara, are you gonna join us tonight?" I ask.

"Sadly, no. I promised my dad that I'd have a movie night with him. Bye Bruce, Damian, Chris." Then she approaches me and kisses me on my cheek. "Bye Dick," she whispers into my ear before she walks out the door. Ahh, Barbara.

"Hurry up. We need to find Jason." Batman orders.

****Break****

"Anything?" I ask over the com.

"Nothing." I hear that word 4 times.

"We've searched everywhere. He's hidden well. Call it a night." Bruce says, obviously annoyed.

"Maybe we'll have better luck tomorrow."

"Grayson, now is not the time to be an optimist." Damian criticizes. I don't see what's wrong with being happy-go-lucky and optimistic.

"We should get back to Cassie. She's alone with Alfred." Tim's voice says over the com.

"Tim and Cassie...hm...what would that be? Tassie? Cim? Cassim? Tissie? I think I like Tassie." Chris teases, and I can sense Tim blushing in a different sector.

****Break****

**Autumn's POV**

I press my ear on the door, holding my gun. I listen to what's going on.

"So are you two in this ring?"

"Wait...what about The Bat? He'll kill us all when he finds out about this drug ring."

I hear a slap. "No, you douche, The Bat don't kill."

"The Red Hood?"

"The Phoenix? This is their territory after all...we're screwed when they find out that we've stopped working for The Hood."

"Scratch them! They're dead! They haven't shown up for a month, what makes you guys think they'll come back from the dead?"

I smirk and start bursting through the doors holding my gun up and smiling. "_I'm back b****es!"_

I take most of them down with a grin on my face. I kick the dealer's head and keep both my guns, then turn to the other guy that's about to stab me with the knife. He holds the knife over his head with the the thought of ending me probably in his head. But I hold his hands as he tries to make the knife at least touch my nose. I grin and kick him in the balls, he crouches and I pin him to the table and hold the arm holding the knife down, he tries to get it out of my grasp and stab me, but I twist his arm and he yells as I listen to the loud crack.

I grab the knife, and grin at him. "Bye bye." I taunt and stab the knife right through his neck, and stand up as I watch the blood drip down the table.

I smirk. "That was...kinda fun."

**Tim's POV**

"What do we do?" I ask as I stand next to Dick in the cave.

Well, Jason and Autumn broke out. It's been two days and they haven't been seen since.

It's pretty weird, since Joker's cell wasn't even touched by the two. I thought that maybe they had some sort of plan...to break into Arkham and kill The Joker...but no.

Jason went on a rampage and we were forced to bring him to Arkham. Autumn turned herself in...and they just stayed there…

Why didn't they end that mad man? Like they really want to?

Could they have changed?

"We can't find them unless they make a move." Bruce says.

They have made a move...much earlier. I investigated, there wasn't much evidence to be collected...except for dead bodies.

"So what? We're gonna just sit here and do nothing?" Chris reacts.

"No. We're gonna search the city, all night if we have to."

"And what? Bring him back to Arkham!?" Dick suddenly gets all defensive. "Bruce! That didn't work the first time! We all know that Arkham will just make things worse for my brother!"

Bruce shakes his head.

"No, it's time to bring him home...for good." Bruce walks towards the vehicle and I turn my head to Chris.

"What does he mean by that?" I ask. Chris just shrugs and follows.

****Break****

"Sector four, clear." I say over the com.

"Just be careful, okay Red Robin. Scarecrow just got out." Dick says on the other end of the line.

It turns out that Jason wasn't the only one who broke out...Scarecrow did too, around the time with the confusion between Jason and Clayface, and I'm right on top of him.

"Um...yeah. About that...I think you guys need to come over here to my sector. It's not clear." But I can probably handle The Scarecrow...but then again, maybe not...wait, TOO LATE.

I miscalculated his arrival.

He's on a highspeed chase and he's just about to pass by the building I'm standing on. I look down. 3…2...1. Now!

I jump on the car's roof and it swivels and drifts in the road with the cops right behind. I hold onto the roof.

Then the car heads straight towards a building. My eyes widen and I jump off of the car, and so does the driver holding a suit case.

Scarecrow gets up and looks down at the brown suit case he was holding onto a second ago and then he smiles...the suitcase starts to melt into a green puddle and smoke starts to come out. I pull on my oxygen mask as a thick fog of green smoke starts to surround me.

I can hear the police cars crash and the sirens dying. Then suddenly I hear loud screams. I look around me, my body in alert mode...searching my surroundings for the missing Scarecrow.

Where did he go? I listen attentively. I can hear screams of fear and horror...I listen harder and I hear a shuffling from behind me. I kick Scarecrow who was just about to stab me with a knife in my back.

He falls backwards and I punch and kick him. He slashes and kicks and tries to punch me, but I dodge. Then he smiles under that weird sack of his.

"Don't deny the fear…" He says. My eyes widen as my vision starts to blur. I feel my mask and I notice a dent, probably from a knife.

He somehow got lucky and slashed it. I press the distress signal on my belt before the world turns sideways and my vision starts to blacken, the last thing I hear is…"Don't worry, you won't last long."

It's just a nightmare...just a nightmare...not real...it isn't real...STOP!

I hold my dad's body as he dies...Jack Drake. He's bleeding all over the place, with a boomerang in his heart. He stares at me for a while.

"DAD! NO! DON'T DIE! DON'T! I STILL NEED TO TELL YOU SOMETHING! DAAAD!" He stares at me with a sad face and tears in his eyes as blood spills out of his mouth...he breathes his last, and he dies with his eyes open.

"DAD!" I yell and cry. "NO!" I cry and hold the dead body. "NOO! DAD DON'T GO! I STILL HAVE SOMETHING TO TELL YOU!"

Then the world turns and now I'm standing, standing in front of Commissioner Gordon outside our mansion as the police takes away my dad's body. "I'm sorry kid...but there's nothing you could have done about it." He says.

Then everything around me turns black, I'm surrounded by just blackness. "Oh, but there was something you could have done." A cold voice says, I'd know that voice anywhere...it's Batman's heavy voice.

"You're Robin...how could you not have saved your dad." I look around me, but I just see endless blackness.

"Batman?"

"That's why you're not Robin anymore."

I turn my head forward and there, I see Batman, he's on the ground, blood spilling out of his mouth and down his nose...and his suit is tattered.

I try to run to him, but I'm just stuck here in place. I can't move.

"_Batman's worst fear is to be responsible for Robin's death, and Robin's worst fear is to be responsible for Batman's death."_

An invisible force hits Batman on his face and I scream. "STOP!"

"But...you're not Robin anymore, are you?" The voice switches to The Demon's voice.

"You didn't deserve to be Robin. You just forced Batman into making you Robin, because apparently, he _needed _a Robin." Dick's cold voice echoes around me. Batman gets hit again by the invisible force.

"But you never were a great Robin, were you?" Chris' unusual cold voice echoes.

"But even if you aren't Robin anymore...you're still a failure. You'll let Batman die even as Red Robin...because you aren't good enough. You're just a detective, a replacement." Jason's cold hard voice blasts around the darkness.

Batman gets up and stands. He looks at me. "You were only a cheap replacement for the original." Batman says as he narrows his eyes. "You aren't Robin anymore, you never were."

Suddenly Batman's figure starts to turn into black ashes and the untouchable wind blows him away as I scream and try to reach for the ashes.

I shoot my eyes open and yell. Things are blurry, but I try to get up...something's binding me down.

I lash and struggle, but whatever is holding me down is strong.

Then my vision starts to clear up a bit I'm in a dark place, lying on a bed. There's one window next to me with the wind blowing in. The place looks like some kind of apartment bedroom...an old and abandoned apartment. There's a small wooden table in front of the window where there's a needle and a small bottle lying on a tray.

There's someone standing beside me and I need to squint to see his or her face. But all I see is light reflecting off of something bright and shiny. My eyes widen and I start to struggle even harder, but he's holding me down with his hands, and I don't think I can even stand.

"There's no use fighting it. With the amount of toxins you inhaled...you'd hardly be able to sit up."

I groan and he lets go, but I still can't get up. "You're stuck on that bed, until the antidote completely kicks in." He says, crossing his arms.

"Why not...just kill me. Why did you save me?" I ask. He takes a step towards the window.

"Hey, I didn't save you...it's just so that you'll owe me one. You'll have to repay me"

"Since when did you ever ask for help?"

"It's none of your business, okay?" I furrow my eyebrows.

"You gonna stay here?" I ask.

"Just until they come and get you." He says, holding up the belt that was placed on the desk.

"What is this place?"

"An old apartment, in case you haven't noticed."

"Your home?" I ask, looking around.

"No." He answers and I look at him. Why does he still have his helmet on?

A short silence and I listen to the loud wailing of the police sirens and beeping cars. "Why not come home? You know, back to the manor?" He turns towards the window and looks outside. "The doors are always open. He told you that, didn't he?" He just stares, light reflecting off of his helmet.

"Maybe." He says.

"I don't understand why you and Bruce just don't talk and, why you won't come-" He looks at me.

"Just shut your gob and wait for them here, Replacement." He says, putting his hand on the large window, preparing to jump out.

"Wait." I say. "Listen, you're my brother too, and we all want you to come home. I know you want to, too." I say. "Why don't you?" I ask.

"I can't." He says simply. "It isn't that simple, after all the crimes I've committed...he wouldn't take me back."

"You don't know that." I say, starting to regain the feeling in my limbs.

"Yes I do."

"No you don't. He's looking for you right now, and you know what he said? 'It's time to take him home, for good.' That's what he said." I say.

He lowers his head. 'He told me that before too...but I ended up in Arkham." He says and finally jumps out the window.

I start to sit up, and that's when Batman and Robin come crashing through the door.

"Did he hurt you?" Batman says, moving to my side.

I shake my head. "No...no he didn't...he didn't." I say looking down. "He didn't hurt me at all." I just stare at the floor as Batman stands beside me.

****Break****

**Jason's POV**

I drive down the dark and empty neighborhood.

Cackling echoes my ears, followed by the sounds of gunshots and my own screaming voice. I remember the blood on my hands, when the bullet went through that innocent person. All because of that mad man...it may have happened a few years ago...but I still remember it up to this day.

I shake my head and keep my eyes on the road.

First night out on patrol since Arkham. I'm already back on my feet, but my little sister still isn't.

She's just been in her room for three days.

I still can't believe that when we passed by The Joker's cell, she made sure that I didn't go and kill him. I think I know why. But, she hates The Joker, maybe not as much as I do. But she still does, and I know that she'd do anything just to watch that clown die in hell. But no...instead she held me back as I tried to head for the cell.

She didn't want me to kill him…

I park the motorcycle and walk to the house. I open the front door and turn on the lights. "Damn…" I say out loud, taking a good look around.


	21. A Dance with Death

**Chapter 21: A Dance with Death**

**A/N: We changed The East Side to the East End...it's still the same place though. Just so you don't get confused, cause it turns out it's called the East End, not the East Side.**

**Jason's POV**

"Damn…" I say out loud, taking a good look around.

The couches are tipped over and not in place and has bullet holes through them. The piano has scratches and burn marks all over it. The windows look like they've been broken through, the pictures and decorations are smashed to pieces, I move up the two steps of stairs and look around me. The kitchen is a mess, the TV has bullet holes and the glass door seems to be melted.

There are a few bloody dead bodies. I can hardly tell what they're wearing from all the blood loss.

I move down the hallway. The doors are scratched and have bullet holes through them.

"Autumn!" Where the hell is my little sister. No one answers back.

I look up as I call at the corner of the ceiling in this hallway. There are small cameras. That's right, she told me about the security system of this house...but I hardly listened.

I move to the tech room. The windows are broken, but the guns and computers and books are untouched.

I turn on the computers and check the security cameras.

Just a few minutes ago, Autumn entered the house through the main door. Wait...she left the house?

Autumn suddenly stops in her tracks as if listening to something. Then people wearing all black and large armour and hoods over their heads suddenly crash in. Autumn narrows her eyes. "Oh no…" She says.

She starts running towards the tech room, but more of these people come out from the tech room and block her way. She stops, she's stuck in the hallway. She moves towards the large armoured man and jumps and kicks his chest. She bounces backwards and goes over the other men blocking her way.

She pulls out two guns from her pockets and starts to shoot them as she does a backflip in the air. She lands on her two feet.

One of the men pulls out a baton and swings at her. She moves backwards and jumps on top of the table and shoots at them. She kicks the other men beside her and jumps off the table.

She starts to head for the door but more of the men block her way by pulling out large guns. Her eyes widen and she jumps to the side of the table and shoots at them as they shoot at her.

She gets behind the couch and the men shoot at her. She reloads and shoots at them. She ducks, dodging a bullet and jumps on top of the couch and towards the men. She shoots at them as she kicks other men in the face.

Then she cartwheels, hitting two more men in the head, then she jumps up and shoots their heads.

The entire damn house is surrounded.

She slides backwards and drops the guns once two of these men get lucky and hit her head.

She sits up. "Ow." She says and one of the men pulls out a knife and points it to her neck.

"So...what's up? Why are you guys back...and why are you people not metas?" She asks breathlessly as blood drips down her cheek and forehead.

The man only narrows his eyes at her. She cocks her head and smiles. She hits the man's hand and the knife flies away and she stands up and watches as the man's hand sizzles.

More of the men head towards her and she jumps up and dodges their attacks and kicks and punches, with flames now lighting around her.

Once the men around her are down she runs towards the door as more armored men head towards her.

She heads for the door, but one of the men throw a ninja star at her, and she bends backwards, the sharp part of the star cutting off small strands of her hair.

The stars stick to the door and she opens it and runs out. The men come after her.

**Autumn's POV**

I run down the subway and through the train station, then back up through the other side with these men still behind me.

These men look like the ones who kidnapped me and brought me to the van. I run and run, my shoes are already broken.

I stop at an alley and lean on the wall and take out my shoes. These people have gotten better since the last time I met them.

I run across the dark streets, my feet stepping on broken glass, on dirt, on puddles of dirty water. But I don't care. They're still on my trail and I can't shake them off.

I take a sharp turn and jump over a black van that passes by me. They're everywhere! In every street, all around the damn neighborhood! Oh God…

I run to a populated area, but they're still on my tail, I run to the road where there are a lot of cars and jump on the roof of a car, then on another one. One of the men tries to tackle me down and hold me to the ground, but I push him off the car's roof and keep running and jumping over the moving cars.

I jump on a long truck and run, but one of these guys tackle me down, followed by a lot more. I struggle in the man's grasp, I kick him in the stomach and push him off the moving truck, I run away from the other men. I reach the end of the truck, great.

I turn around and they're still running towards me, some of them holding guns and some holding swords and knives. Come on, Autumn, think! I look up.

There! Maybe I have a...nope...I have no grappling gun…

I look down, there we go! A dead guy with a grappling rope in his belt. I take the rope and swing it to the lighted lamp post and, I swing on the lamp post and climb up and jump towards the building, leaving the rope on the post.

This isn't right...the war is over...but they're not metas...then who are they, if they're not The Unknown?

I continue running, already breathless. These people are trained, and trained well...maybe as well as I am. Even if they were not as trained, they're too many...way too many, and they are increasing in number as I run.

These people...I saw mixed martial arts, and acrobatics...when I was fighting them earlier. They're punches and kicks are very heavy and have all the same moves...they've been trained by the same person. Who are they?

What do they want!

I keep on running and running. Why do they want to capture me? I jump over a building and I can still here swooshes and steps right behind me.

I flip over something that's blocking my way and continue running. I wonder why they aren't shooting...they obviously need me alive.

I jump and suddenly I feel a rope tie around my leg. Great. If I burn it, I fall and die...since I'm only halfway across the gap and the building I jumped off of was really high.

"CRAP!" I yell as I fall, and my head hits the side of a building, while I hang upside down.

They all stand over me as I feel wetness drip down my head. Everything turns black.

****Break****

I open my eyes. I'm strapped, my hands and feet are locked down and I'm facing the ceiling. It smells like toxin and I can see green smoke rise up to the ceiling. I could be in a factory or a chemical plant.

The table I'm on moves upwards, making me stand as I lay on the table.

I look around...yup, I'm in a chemical plant. There are a lot of large containers for chemicals. The place is dark, but far from empty.

Although I don't see anyone, I can hear shuffling...it seems to me that there are a lot of people shuffling in the shadows.

A woman with dark black hair and dark brown eyes steps out of the shadows.

"Yeesh, you could really use some sun." I say, staring at her shiny suit that reminds me of Talia. She has really pale skin and a smirk across her face as she moves towards me.

I try to move and burn the metal cuffs off, but it isn't working. I grunt.

"Don't bother Autumn." She points to my neck. I look down and there's a collar. This is great...just great.

"Listen lady, I don't wanna hurt you. So I suggest you let me out of here." She chuckles and I narrow my eyes. "You don't know what I can do to you and your little army of ninja whatevers."

She laughs. "Oh, I know exactly what you can do to me and my army. Phoenix. Oh and by the way, they're called soldiers." My eyes widen and I start struggling even harder searching for the lock pick in my sleeve, but there's none.

I grunt as I rub my wrists against the tight cuffs. Blood already begins to drip down my hands, but I don't care.

"What do you want?" I spit and she chuckles.

"The tables have turned...haven't they?"

I continue to grunt as I try to get out. "What do you mean?"

She cocks her head. "I was suffering because of you, and now, I'm making you suffer."

"What. Do. You. Want?!" I stare into her heavy dark eyes.

"Revenge."

"I don't even know you." I say clenching my teeth.

"But you will." She pulls out a trigger and presses the button. I can feel thousands of volts get shot around my body. I don't yell, I clench my teeth.

Suddenly, the ropes open and I fall on my hands and feet. She kicks my stomach, and I grunt. "You see...you killed my father. Now, I'm just going to kill you." She kicks my chest.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"He wasn't really a great father...not the best one. But he was still my father. He was a good father, before he...evolved." I dart my head up and stare at her with wide eyes. "That's right...Unknown. After you burned him to death, I went back to this legion...my own legion. Of course, I'm still building my army, but...I couldn't wait any longer for revenge."

"Just kill me now." She kicks me again and leans down and holds my chin. "You see, before you die...I need you to suffer." She pushes my head away and she pulls out a gun. "Oh don't worry, I'll kill you, slowly, painfully, the worst way possible. I'll take away any hope of your big brother ever saving you. I'll destroy any light in your heart. I'll make sure your brother can never save you." He doesn't even know where I am.

But the light and hope in my heart have already drained out...I'm not hoping that my brother will save me.

"You're father was insane."

"But he was still something."

"I DID WHAT I HAD TO DO!" I yell. "The war needed to end!"

"NO! MY FATHER WAS A GREAT MAN!"

"No…He was crazy for power! He probably didn't care about you!"

"LIES."

"No."

"He was wise, he wanted equality!"

"No he didn't! I met your father! HE TOLD ME THAT HE WAS GOING TO TAKE OVER! HE WANTED POWER! NOT EQUALITY! HE WAS BLIND!"

"My father would have never wanted that. He wanted justice! Against all those people who treated us metas like crap!"

I grab the gun and stand up. We struggle for the gun, shooting everything else but not us.

Then the gun slides away and she knees me in the gut and I'm back on the floor.

She kicks my face and grabs my head, throwing my face against the ground. I hear a loud crack as I spit blood. Suddenly, I feel something sharp enter my shoulder. "Ah." I grunt and put my palm on the ground, trying to hold it.

She kicks my side and I roll over and take the knife out of the back of my shoulder. It's a deep cut, and it stings.

"But for now, I want revenge on the child that killed my father!" She kicks my nose with her high heeled boots. "AFTER MY FATHER DIED, I WAS ALONE! It was bad enough that I had to train all my life, and master my powers and train these other people because of him! I never got his love! BUT HE WAS SOMETHING! He was all I had! AND YOU TOOK HIM AWAY FROM ME!"

Suddenly I feel myself being lifted up by a light force and smashed into the wall of the chemical plant. I keep my eyes shut as I continue to smash into the wall.

"After you blew up the base, I stayed here on earth and continued to recruit more people and train them."

"Why...are they not meta?" I question, still keeping my eyes shut.

"Because...humans are easier to manipulate. Since they have no knowledge of the war." I open my eyes.

"Manipulate?" I'm on the ground now, and I stare at the floor.

"Yes, manipulate. All I need to do is get into their minds...and change some things. Of course, I only recruit the best...the best is so hard to get nowadays."

"So...I'm guessing that the hardest to manipulate are the crazies, huh?" I ask as I stare at her.

She cocks her head and shrugs. "It takes time." She smiles. "Maybe, I can manipulate your brother into fighting along side with me!"

"No, you stay away from my brother! Kill me, but don't show your face to him!"

She smiles.

She raises her hand, and suddenly darkness. A shadow picks me up and brings me to her. "I am also able to do this." She crashes my head on a wall just by swinging her hand. "My, this is easier than I thought. I thought you were The Phoenix?"

"I am."

"Hmm...but then why are you so weak? Ever since the day that I tried to kidnap you, I planted a tracking device in your blood and watched you from then on."

"So, you're the one who tried to have me kidnapped."

I frown and raise up my hand giving her the finger. She smiles.

"Ah!" The shadows around me tighten and start to suffocate me. "Who are you?"

"I am Victoria. But you can call me Silhouette. Everyone I train does. Before I kill you...I will make you suffer, just the way you made my friend suffer." I made a lot of people suffer, who is she talking about?

The last thing I hear is her voice. "Get out of here now!" She yells. Everything darkens.

****Break****

**Jason's POV**

"S***. S***. S***!" Where the hell could Autumn be!?

I tried calling her, but no one's answering. I looked all over her room, the tech room, everywhere! I've checked all around Gotham and she's already been missing for four hours.

Leaving this place is dangerous, especially since the heat hasn't died down with our escape and everything. But Autumn already did most of the work and deleted any pictures of me and her online so we can at least leave the house as Jason Todd and Autumn Cross.

WIth the Bat still out there looking for me everywhere...I can easily be captured, but since when did I care about my own safety?

I doubt that even Autumn can take down all those ninja guys after her, all on her own, even with her powers.

I walk to the tech room. I was never really good with detective work or hacking or all that s***, I'm more of a hand to hand combat kind of guy. But I need to find out where my sister is.

I have to find her.

I hack into Gotham's security tapes around the city. I only have a few minutes to search through the past videos of the streets on file before Batman finds out because he's also hacked into Gotham's security network. Once he gets an alert, he'll track it down to this place. I'm sure of it.

I type rapidly, searching through the data network of the security cameras around Gotham city. I focus on the East Side and the possible places she could have went a few minutes ago.

There. I can see her running across the streets and shadows following her. Lots and lots of shadows…

She runs until she gets to a populated area and jumps over cars and then over a truck, she gets hold of a grappling rope and swings up, then she gets out of the sight of the cameras and so do the men.

I pause and look at the background. That place isn't too far from here.

Those people are really trained. It's obvious. Anyone that can capture a member of The All Caste has to be very well trained. I have to be careful.

****Break****

I find a pair of sneakers soaking in a puddle of dirty water. I pick it up, yeah that's Autumn's.

I trace her footsteps, and I climb up the building. There are drops of dry blood on the roof that I can see with the software I installed into my helmet. It doesn't take much time for the computer in my helmet to analyze it and confirm that it is Autumn's dry blood.

I jump over one building and move to the next one. There's nothing on this building, so I move to the edge of the building and see bloody shards of glass, and I can tell even without the computer telling me. She was here.

At the very edge there is a piece of evidence that my helmet just scanned for me. Marks, scratches probably coming from a hook. I look down the building and my computer scans that there is dry blood marks on the side of this building.

I climb down the building. I touch the dry blood. She could have been hung upside down, with the hook or rope that was connected to the edge of the building.

I narrow my eyes at the wall. This is evidence, but it doesn't lead me to where she is.

"Hey mister!" I turn around and take out my gun. I realize that I'm pointing it to the head of a kid.

A street kid in particular. I keep my gun. "You know, you really shouldn't carry guns around, my nana used to say that it's wrong." He says, he's probably new to this street kid thing.

"Yeah, sure whatever." I don't have time for this, I start walking out of the alley.

"You looking for a kid?" I stop and turn to him. "Yeah, I saw a kid, a girl. She was up there, swinging upside down, then she hit her head. I was gonna go help her, but some guys came and took her off of the rope and brought her to a black van." He says pointing to the dead end of the alley. "They were parked right there."

The computer in my helmet states that he's telling the truth. "I watched them take her to the van and they drove away."

"Ya, know where they went?"

"Yeah, that way." He points. "I think they were heading to that old chemical plant since they took a left turn, and all that's there is a chemical plant." He says.

"You better be right, kid." He nods.

"Don't worry, I am."

I start walking to where I parked my car.

**Daiman's POV**

"Father, we found them." I say over the alert that the computer has suddenly sent. Once the alert was made, Carter and I immediately moved to the computer. Someone hacked into the Gotham security system. After upgrading our own system, we are able to find out if anyone hacked into our system or any of the systems we hacked into, all because of Todd and his sister.

"Their hideout is on the East End, near the old abandoned pier." Carter says looking away from the computer and turning to Batman.

Father is looking at the case again, just staring. "Father." I say and he nods, not looking at me and walking towards the vehicle without uttering a single word.

Drake and Grayson are out scouting the city for Todd, and patrolling at the same time. So it's just Carter and I left in the cave.

She and I follow.

We drive through the East End, the most crime infested area in Gotham. We cross The Bowery and the border of Crime Alley to a dark and empty road. This road it is simply deserted, no children walking around searching for food, or criminals stealing the purses of women. Just an empty, deserted street.

I could already imagine a tumbleweed passing by as I look out the window. I have never heard of this street before, here in the East End. This street is obviously hidden, or maybe cloaked for a reason.

All the houses we pass by are tiny, but dark and empty. Usually, I hear the screams of women or beer bottles breaking, but all I hear are crickets chirping.

Batman follows the map on the screen. We are the green dot, and the hideout is the red dot. I question why Todd would suddenly get so careless after all these months of hiding, how could he possibly get careless?

Finally, we stop. I look outside. I was expecting it to be a disgusting deserted factory, or maybe a place in the sewage system or somewhere underground. But instead, I get a house. A clean and pleasant looking house.

It is not a large house, not close to the size of the manor, but it is the biggest house in the area. We walk to the door and Batman simply picks the lock.

"Are you sure this is it?" Nightingale whispers.

"Affirmative." Batman says blantly. The door simply swings open and we walk inside the dark house.

Nightingale moves to the side and touches the switch and the lights turn on. It's a mess, bullet holes through the couches, scratches on the piano, large holes through each window, the large TV cracked. We walk in quietly and down the hallway. If only it wasn't a mess, this place would look nice. Batman starts searching the mess as Carter and I walk curiously down the hallway.

I open every door. I see a few untouched guest rooms and three bathrooms. I open the door to another room and find a neat bed room. There is a guitar, and a few posters of rock bands and artists and a table with a laptop. I don't enter the room. Where are they?

I continue to walk down the hallway with Carter by my side. I only notice now that there are drops of blood on the walls, and a few bullet holes here and there. A knife is stuck to the wall with dry blood painted on it.

We both walk into another room. At first it is very dark that I cannot see anything, then the lights turn on, on its own. There are dozens of large computers, shelves of books, and tables that are filled with experiments. We walk into the room.

I look around, but I don't touch anything hoping not to wipe away any evidence. "OH MY GOD." I hear loud thuds and I turn around. There are corpses all over the floor, coming out of a large closet. Todd must have just stuffed them in there.

"That's...unpleasant." I stare at the many corpses all over the carpet.

"Robin, Nightingale." I hear Batman's voice down the hall. The two of us walk towards his voice. "They are not here. We need to keep looking for them."

Then my com turns on. "I've just got a huge lead." Grayson says over the coms.

Batman nods. "Then let's go. Now." He orders.

"Batman, there are dead bodies in the other room." Carter says as we walk towards the door.

"I know." He says.

****Break****

**Jason's POV**

My jacket is gone...it burned down. So is one of my helmets. I had to blow it up to create the explosion. All I've got now is a knife and a gun that's almost out of bullets and my motorcycle.

I drive on my motorcycle with the heavy wind blowing at my hair. The chemical plant is gone, and so are the people in it. All I needed to do was ask and blow up the damn place. What kind of moron would leave their little army of assassins inside a chemical plant where they can be easily blown to bits?

How stupid is this lady?

The good news is, I found out who they were working for. Silhouette. I have no idea who that is, but she has my little sister and they're heading towards the cemetery for some reason.

The bad news is, I have no idea what to expect from this woman. She is obviously a metahuman, but I don't know how predictable or unpredictable she is.

I stop my motorcycle and see a woman in a suit walking towards a silver car, smiling.

I get off of my motorcycle and immediately point my gun at her head. "Where is she?" I ask.

She turns to me and smiles. But that's all she does. "I'll ask again. Where is she."

"You must be her brother."

"Hurry up and answer the damn question before I lose my patience and shoot your head out." I threaten.

She smirks. "The answer to your question is simple." I narrow my eyes still pointing my gun at her. "I buried her alive." My eyes widen.

"You did what!"

"Of course, you can easily get to her and dig her out. But, you'll have to kill me just in time before she runs out of air."

**Autumn's POV**

"I win! I win!" He says, throwing his hands in the air.

"What! No way! You cheated!"

He smirks and crosses his arms over his chest. "Nah, I won fair n' square!"

I smile. "Whatever. Let's just play again."

Then suddenly someone crashes through the door and I turn around. A man with blonde hair and gray eyes holds my mom by the arm and throws her on the couch. She whimpers, holding her head.

I turn to Nico who's packing up the board game and standing up. "That's mommy's boyfriend. His name is Lawrence. I don't like him...he hurts my mommy everytime he comes over."

He starts walking towards the room. I look back towards the couch.

He holds his hand up in a slapping motion."You gonna talk back again!?" He yells and grabs her light brown hair. His rough voice echoes.

He leans down, still holding her hair. Mom closes her eyes and holds her head. "Answer me when I'm talking to you!" Mom continues to whimper.

He lets go and her head bounces back on the couch. The man called Lawrence moves backwards and wipes his hair with his palm. "I didn't want to hurt you, but you made me do this Tess, when you didn't love me. When you chose the father of your son over me! Now, you suddenly some crawling back to me for money! I decided to help you, in exchange for your love. But this is how you repay me! By answering back at me and flirting with other men!" He yells and mom just whimpers.

"If only you loved me." He glares at her and she only wimpers. "Answer me!" He is about to slap her, but I run to them and stand right in between Lawrence and my mom.

He faces me and leans down. "Who the hell are you!" I ask, well more like demand.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING IN MY APARTMENT!" His hands ball into a fists. "GET OUT! OUT OF THE WAY AND OUT OF MY HOUSE!"

I stay standing and keeping a hard face.

"I said get out before I beat the hell outta you!" He yells, spitting in my face. I don't move.

He starts to swing his open hand towards my face, when mom suddenly grabs his arm.

"Stop, no! Please! She's mine!" He looks at her, and roughly pulls his arm away from her.

"Another one, Tess?"

"She won't be much trouble, I promise!" My mom begs.

He looks down at me and glares into my eyes with his own hard, tough eyes. "Fine." He says gruffly. Then he suddenly grabs her hair. I tense as she winces.

"Ow, stop." She pleads.

"I don't want her in my way, ever again. Do you understand?" Mom nods a bit and he violently lets go.

He clenches his teeth and stares at me, then he walks to a different room.

Mom crouches down and holds my arms, looking for any injuries. "Are you alright? Did he hurt you?" I shake my head as I look at her.

"Why do you let him hurt you, mom? Why not leave this place if this is his house?"

She sighs. "I'm sorry baby, we need food, and shelter, and he is the only one I know that can give us that. All I need to do, to get that from him, is stay here, even if he is hardly at home." She looks down and rubs my arms with her soft palms.

"How long will we have to stay here, then?" I ask.

"I don't know. Until we can find a way to buy our own house, and until I can find a better job and be able to support you and your brother."

I nod and I stare into her teary eyes. "But…" I say, but she cuts me off with a whisper.

"Listen to me, Autumn." She whispers, holding my arms. "Whatever he does, whatever you find out about him, if he hurts you...please...please don't fight back, no matter what."

"Why?" I ask.

"Just because. Just do it for me, okay? No matter what happens, never fight him. Understand?"

"No, mom. I can't understand why we shouldn't fight back, when he treats you like this!" I almost yell and she covers my mouth with her hand.

"He supports us. He is the one who lets us sleep in this house, he gives me money from time to time, if you get him angry, not only will he hurt us, he'll stop helping us." I nod and she hugs me tightly and sighs. "Can I trust you on that? Protect your little brother, but don't fight Lawrence."

I nod and hug her back. "Yes mom."

She lets go and stands up once we hear heavy footsteps coming out of the room. The blonde man walks out of the bedroom with a cigarette in between his lips.

"Come here, little girl." He gestures for me to come to him. "Now that you're living under my roof, there are some things that you need to know. I will accept you into this house, but you have to do everything I tell you too. Never talk back at me, and never piss me off, ever. If you break any of those very simple rules, I will kill you, understand,baby girl!?"

I look down and nod.

"Look at me when I am talking to you." He says and I look up at him. "From now on, you will call me, papa." My eyes widen in anger and I clench my fists and grind my teeth.

"Wherever Tess, got you from, because I doubt that you are her daughter since you're older than her real son. If you had a dad, before. Forget about him, forget about him, I don't care if you don't want me to be your new dad. I don't want to be your dad either. But you will call me papa from now on. I will replace your old man whether you like it or not."

You're nothing like my dad. I wanna say that so bad.

"Do you understand?" His voice is loud and gruff.

"Yes, papa." I say through clenched teeth.

The world starts to blur around me and the scene changes. Time passes by. I'm still in the same apartment, but the place looks a bit older and looks darker.

"YOU BASTARD!" He pushes me to the ground and punches my face. I topple over the old lamp as my head hits the side of the table. My eye is swollen, and I can hardly see through my other one. I can feel another bruise forming at the back of my head.

I can hear mom pleading to papa...but I hear another thud and the pleading stops.

"You stupid, worthless little b****!" He yells.

"You'll get yourself killed, working for Cobblepot, papa." I say.

"I TOLD YOU TO STAY OUT OF MY WAY!" He yells and grabs my arms and swings me across the room.

I'm not going to fight, I won't fight...I won't.

I can take another beating.

I can hear a swish and I know what's going to come next. I can hear his heavy footsteps get louder and louder heading towards me.

He starts whipping me with his long belt and I wince but I don't cry. He continues whipping and whipping and I only lay there, wincing.

"You stupid bastard! It's hard enough to have to work for one kid, then you had to come into the family! What use are you!" He continues whipping. I am useful. I've stolen cash for him without mom knowing. I've helped him out with a lot of heists. I am useful. He must be drunk again.

The whipping stops and I can feel blood dripping down my cheek. I start to slowly stand up, my knees are shaking.

I'm so sick of pretending to be weak...but I have to do this for my brother and for my mom.

He pushes me back down and slaps me and hits me. Then he grabs my hair. "You stupid good for nothing girl. I warned you once, don't piss me off. I told you I will beat you, I wasn't bluffing. But the next time you're in my way, I will kill you." He lets go of my hair and I fall to the ground.

Mom doesn't come near me. She doesn't hug me, she can't, she's also beaten up. Maybe, she just doesn't want to, she probably doesn't want to hug me because of the bruises on my face.

"I'll take you down with me." I whisper as I glare at the floor with my one eye.

The scene changes again. The apartment is much darker, much more silent...it's been a few days since my little brother's death. Mom is out, doing who knows what...she's been missing the past few days.

I don't know what she's doing when she leaves...but everytime I see her, she always looks like a ghost...always so quiet.

I sit on the floor applying ice to my eye, I got a bruise from those thugs that I stole from.

Suddenly I hear the door slam and I look at the door. I don't see my mom, I see papa grinning at me like a maniac.

"Hello, child. " He locks the door. "Did you know, you're momma doesn't want you anymore? So I can hurt you now!" He starts walking towards me as I stand up and drop the ice pack. "Did I ever tell you, how much I hate you?" He says as he walks towards me in the dark. "Now that your momma ain't here, I can do whatever I want with you. I can choke you, I can slap you, I can kill you."

I move backwards and hit the wall. "Why...why do you hate me?" I try to stall. How can I protect myself without breaking mom's promise?

"You're the reason why I suffer at work." he says, swaying a bit as he walks towards me.

I press myself against the wall, and I hear him curse. I start to run, but he slaps and hits me and continues to yell at me. I run for the door but it's locked. He throws a wooden chair at my head and he grabs me and I start to bawl. He throws me against the wall, with a loud crack and a thud as I fall to the floor, my head bleeding.

"I HATE YOU!" He yells at me.

"I'm sorry papa!" Mom said to not fight back. Mom said, mom said, mom said. I have to be good to him, but I must have done something bad, I must be stupid.

"I...I don't understand...why not just go back to _them_?" I start regretting saying it once those words leaves my mouth.

His face twists into unimaginable hatred. He kicks me and punches me and slaps me. I hate him too...I wanna fight back and beat him until he breathes his last...but mom said.

"NEVER TALK ABOUT THEM. Just because you found out about them, doesn't mean that you can just blurt things out about them! You can only do, and say things when I tell you to!"

He starts to walk towards the door and the door slams, leaving me alone in the dark as the moon illuminates. I lay motionless on the floor, blood dripping down my nearly broken bones.

I told my mom that I wouldn't fight back, and I didn't.

The scene shifts and changes.

I look out the window and listen to the loud siren. I watch as the police take papa away. Mom is yelling at the police man for some reason.

He looks up at me and glares darkly. This is the last time I will ever see him. He'll die in jail, I hope he does.

I turn around and see a girl by the couch, with her hands tied to the table as her own mom whips her back with a bloody belt. Her mom screams and yells as the girl cries.

The girl cries, not because the whips are painful...but because with every whip comes a whole lot of hatred, coming from the person that she loves the most...her own mother. That's why she's crying, I know this because that girl is me.

Then the world turns dark. There's just an empty space of nothingness.

Then I shoot my eyes wide open.

**Jason's POV**

I spit out blood and wipe my mouth with the back of my bloody glove. I'm bleeding all over the road. My own favorite knife is injected in my side, and there's a bullet hole on my arm and on my leg.

I get back up and face her. She just smirks. All I was able to do to her was slightly cut her cheek, it's not even a deep cut. I'm losing this fight and I can't even get in the cemetery. We've been fighting here in the middle of this empty road lighted by two street lights for hours.

All she needs to do, to nearly kill me is wave her hand and let the shadows do the work.

She smirks. "You're fun. You never give up. Hm...but I'm getting tired of this game." She looks at me and I feel a piercing cold pain shoot up the back of my head.

"AAAAAH!" I fall to the ground and hold my head and breathe heavily as the pain gets heavier.

"Hmmm...interesting."

"AAAH!" I yell, holding my head and kneeling on the floor. She starts to walk towards me. I can feel something crumbling on the inside of my mind. I clench my teeth and spit out blood, I force myself to stand as gravity heavily forces me to kneel down.

But I kneel to nobody and to nothing. I stand up, holding my arm and I run towards her.

I punch but I miss as she dodges. "Looks like Autumn isn't the only one who's mad in her family." She taunts.

She waves her hand and a shadow quickly picks me up and holds me. I struggle.

"Hm...too bad, I'll have to kill you since you aren't of any use to me." I struggle and grab the knife and take it out of my side without even flinching, and I throw it at her.

The knife hits her shoulder and she's pinned to her own car. The shadow shatters as she yells, holding her arm.

I run towards her, taking the large pieces of glass that broke from the silver car earlier and throw it through her left shoulder. She yells and the shadow that was about to take the knife out of her shoulder shatters.

"What's the matter? Can't take a little pain?!" I run to her and dodge the long spikes of shadows heading towards me. I finally reach her and start punching her stomach. I can hear the sounds of shattering noises behind me.

I take a shard of glass and push it right through her thigh and another shard through her other thigh to pin her to the front of the silver car. "Where is she!"

"Six feet under." She says through clenched teeth. "I'll kill you!" A shadow grabs my back and lifts me up. I struggle as I watch her figure move further away from me.

If only I had another weapon…

I shuffle through my pockets. A lighter. I open it and light the shadow. The shadow burns and I fall to the floor and so does the lighter. Fire starts to light up my clothes as I walk towards her.

I bend down and take the fire. "You know, Autumn isn't the only one that can burn people."

"It...it doesn't matter. She'll die before you get to her, all because of your stupid revenge." I take a shard from the ground and put it right through her chest. She flinches.

"Sometimes...revenge is all that matters." She smiles as her breathing gets shallow.

"Touche." She says and I start to light the oil leaking from the car.

"Yeah." I move towards the cemetery holding my side as I listen to her screams and as the car explodes,

**Autumn's POV**

"AAAAAAH!" I scream, spitting out blood. It's dark, it's so dark.

Flashes of a memory come back, the escape pod...the bright fire.

I can't move...it's too tight. No….no, no it can't be...oh no. 'AAAAAAH!" I scream. GET ME OUT OF HERE!

.

I bawl, but my elbows and knees only hit concrete. I can't move. I bang on the top of the box. I concentrate on trying to burn it. But it doesn't work. I hold my neck. I still have the collar on. I CAN'T GET IT OFF!

I NEED TO GET OUT!

I punch the darkness, listening to the loud thuds. "AAAAAAH!" I scream as I start scratching the top of the box. I can hear the wood scraping off, I can feel the splinters of wood come down to my face and almost into my mouth. But as blood starts to drip down to my cheeks from my fingertips, there's no progress.

"GET ME OUT!" I know, I have to calm down, screaming is no use...and I'm already gasping for air. My lungs are begging for it. I HAVE TO GET OUT!

I keep on scratching at the wood.

Fire, and burning, crying, and the smell of steel burning…

Tears start to drip down the side of my eyes mixing with the blood and wood on my face. I can feel something crawling up on my skin and I start screaming even harder and bawling even more. My knees and elbows hitting wood every time I make one move.

I continue to bang around the darkness, as my lungs start to beg for air. I would scream for help, but would help even come?

**Jason's POV**

Where the hell is she?

I stumble through the cemetery, There are dead trees, and black crows everywhere. The wind howls, as I remember.

I remember crawling out of my own grave. How much I hated that coffin. I screamed and bawled and scratched, and I dug up six feet of dirt. I still remember the first name I screamed when I opened my eyes.

I was able to gain claustrophobia, but no matter how much I hated tight spaces after that, I still kept going on. But now, my sister is stuck in a coffin, the same way I was...buried alive, left to be fed on by earthworms. I hold my side which is bleeding.

The back of my head is also bleeding because I wasn't able to get that far from the explosion of the car because of this damn bullet in my leg.

I've got burns from the explosion in the chemical plant, and I've got a huge migraine as the world starts to spin. But I keep walking, she's my little sister, I have to save her. I can't let her suffer the way I did.

"Autumn!" I yell fighting through the dizziness.

**Autumn's POV**

Burning to hell...the world was shaking…it was worse than a nightmare...I felt my skin peeling…

But now...it's much worse…

I'm surrounded with simple, but breathe taking blackness. Every move I make, I always end up hitting one side of the enclosed space and giving myself a bruise. Blood is dripping down my dirty palms, hot tears are falling from my eyes, I'm covered in blood, sweat, wood, dirt and worms.

But I don't care. I keep scratching.

My lungs are going to wither with the lack of oxygen. My heart is going to explode with its quick beating. I'll die...either from lack of oxygen or from panicking.

I know it's pointless to panic, but even if I tried thinking smart and stop panicking and take slower breaths...it wouldn't change much. I would only be delaying the inevitable; my little dance with Death.

**Jason's POV**

I dart my head to the left once I hear a loud scream coming from under. I limp towards the grave. It looks new, and there's a wooden cross stuck to it. "AAAAAH!" The screaming gets louder once I get closer.

I run towards the grave. Even as the world starts to spin, and even as pain starts to shoot up my whole body with every damn step that I make, even as I hear a lot of footsteps come towards me from behind me, probably going to attack me. I just keep running towards the grave.

I kneel on the ground and start digging with my bare hands. I have to save Autumn. She isn't just a little sister, she's also my friend, and, no, I don't have many friends.

I just dig, and I can feel the ground get softer. I keep digging even as my gloves start to rip off of my fingers. I just keep digging.

**Dick's POV**

"Nightwing, take him away from there." Batman says, running towards the grave. I take Jason by his arms and drag him away from the grave. He struggles and tries to run towards the grave. He may be taller and has a bigger build, but I have my brother and sister to help me out.

Everything starts to become a blur, and all I can really hear is screaming and the sound of Batman digging and taking Jason's place on top of the grave.

Now, Batman's the one who's digging. Then Damian moves towards the grave and starts digging beside him.

Little Wing is lying limply in my hands. Suddenly, I can feel heavier weight on my hands and I look down, my not-so Little Wing is in my arms.

**Damian's POV**

It is my job to stand by Batman's side, or in this case, kneel.

I dig and dig, although I know that there is hardly a point. I know that Autumn was my friend...but she's changed now. I don't think that she can come back to the way she was before.

I don't think Autumn is even alive. Once this coffin opens, I know I'll find a dead body of a pretty girl. But that is all we will find.

My fingers hit concrete. We continue digging until we can see the lid of the coffin.

There's a padlock on it. Batman puts a small device on the lock and it burns the padlock on touch. He thinks that there could still be time for her to be alive, but no time for a lockpick.

Batman opens the door, and my eyes widen at the sight of the girl.

She's shaking violently. Her eyes are wide, her breathing is obviously heavy, her hands are bloody and dirty, and so is her face. There's a collar on her neck that has drops of blood on it.

I can see her eyes, wet and red. I have never seen her like this. Looking so small, so weak.

Father easily and gently picks her up. As he does this, he says, "Take him home." I turn around and see Todd hanging limply in Grayson's arms.

"But-" Drake starts to interject.

"Now. All of you, go home." He commands harshly.

They start walking to the vehicle. I look back down at Father who is trying to calm Autumn down. "But Father."

"You too Damian." He says and I nod.

I start walking behind Nightwing. I know I am only hallucinating by the events of this night, but I hear Father say "I'm sorry."

Nightwing puts Todd down on the back seat next to Drake, and NIghtwing gets in the driver's seat with Carter in shotgun.

I sit beside Drake, watching Todd's shallow breaths. We speed up, but we drive in silence.


	22. For Good

**Chapter 22: For Good**

**Jason's POV**

**A/N: Warning: Major spoilers for Red Hood and The Outlaws #018**

_I was never much of a sleeper._

_It was hard finding a right position where the bruises didn't hurt._

_I'd sit in the dark, afraid this was the day mom would choke on her own vomit_

_-or dad would use the gun on the kitchen table to make good on his threat to get rid of his two biggest mistakes and start over._

_It wasn't easy when I moved to the Manor either._

_I'd either spend my nights on patrol as Robin-_

_-Or I'd wait up listening for any sound at all that would tell me Bruce made it home alive._

_So, yeah. Not so big on sleeping._

"_That's my pup, Pup." _I open my eyes.

_My name is Jason Todd. When I was a kid, I was known as Robin, junior partner to Batman._

_Later, I was "The Robin who got beat to death with a crowbar by the homicidal maniac called the Joker."_

_After that, I was Red Hood-a hot-tempered vigilante determined to sweep the city streets of any trash that Batman left behind._

_So, why then -in my fevered imagination- do I find myself here in this twisted nightmare version home of the All Caste?_

I'm lying on a table in the middle of the palace. I know this is just a dream, or a distant memory.

I could have chosen run away from the pain of the explosions of the chemical plant and the car.

_Why here?_

_Why now?_

_"HAHA HAHAHAHA!"_

_"You are obsessed with being alive boy!" _Joker's face pops out. "_But I guess I have no one else to blame but me, myself and aye aye captain!"_

_"JOKER!" _I yell.

"You're joking, right?"

"Trust me, I know joking."

"_I killed you! With my bare hands! Nearly laughed myself to death in the process!"_

_"How did you get in my mind!" _

_"I wiped your pretty pink brain matter off my crowbar onto my sleeve. When am I not in your mind!?" _

_Another reason why I hate sleeping._

_Well technically, I'm in an induced coma. They're trying to save my skin._

In the Wayne Manor, in the med bay, connected to a few wires...

_"This is madness. After everything the boy has been through, he should be in the hospital as his brother suggested." Alfred Pennyworth. "Butler" doesn't even begin to encompass everything he is to anyone who has lived here._

_"He was nearly burned to death...Alfred. His best chances of surviving that are right here."_

_"You're giving me too much credit Master Bruce. Perhaps if we consulted with Dr. Thompkins and-"_

_"No. This is a family matter." Bruce Wayne. _He's sitting on a seat right in front of my bed.

_Batman. After what happened between us. Maybe the last guy on earth who should use the word family in a sentence._

_"Very well. You know best." That's Alfred's for "you have your cowl up your butt and I'm not going to waste my breath trying to pull it out." _

_"I've decreased the medication. He should be coming around soon."_

He kisses my forehead. _"Come back to us. Home is never the same without you, it never is."_

He starts to walk towards the door. _"I know this falls under deaf ears, sir. But this is not your fault."_

_"That is a very polite lie. The Joker came at me through all of you. If not for me..."_

_"...Jason would have been dead years ago. Stabbed or shot in Crime Alley. You gave him a purpose. You gave him a life. Something The. Joker has not been able to take away from him. No matter how often or as hard as he has tried."_

_Everyone should have an Alfred._

With those words, he leaves.

_Someone who can cut through the crap and tell you how the world really is. Then he leaves you alone._

_But guys like us?_

_The life we lead?_

_Everyday is a fresh horror. Every memory, a nightmare._

_Even if it is just the two of us...there's a pasty faced clown in the corner of the room just laughing. At us._

_"You probably don't know this, Jason. But there was a day, early on, that I knew I could stop worrying about you."_

_"It isn't enough to be the best, Jason." Bruce's past voice echoes through the room._

_"You have to always anticipate your opponent's-eh? A smack echoes._

_"I'm sorry about that Jason." _

_"For what, Bruce? It was my fault. I totally walked into that kick. I don't know a lot about a lot. But I know you have to let me take credit for my mistakes or I'm never going to learn."_

_"More than fair, again?" _

_"I'm just waiting on you..."_

The world rumbles and Joker laughs. He brings out a crowbar and I run. _"No way in hell." _I grab a bomb and put it in his mouth. _"Not again, never again."_

He blows up.

I wipe the blood off of my half naked body. "_Thanks for the assist lady." _I cock my head.

"_There is nothing I can do to undo the damage you have already done."_

I look down and there are dead bodies everywhere.

"_The truth is, after you left to go back to the world, you continued to let your life be defined by the actions of that man. You became a killer. Eventually, you will hurt your family. How are you so different from The Joker?"_

_"DON'T YOU DARE COMPARE ME TO THAT MONSTER, DUCRA!"_

_"Why? Because you have people in your life who care for you?"_

_"That's one reason, yes!" _I look down.

I shoot my head up and see my little sister hanging on a tree. "Autumn?"

"_It is as I've said, those closest to you will suffer the most. How long do you think she can live and thrive in the inferno of the rage that burns in your heart?" _She points to Autumn's dead body. "_She loves you, with her heart wide open, she looks up to you, yet all you allow in return is the hollow actions of a man going through the motions. _You aren't a good brother."

"That...that's not true."

_"I do love my sister..."_

Suddenly, a hand grabs my wrist. _"That is not possible Pup. You cannot live in the past and the present at once. Not without destroying one of them." A hand grabs my wrist._

My red helmet and my two guns suddenly appear. My family starts heading towards me and I shoot them.

_That's the problem with Ducra. Dead or alive? A body doesn't matter to her. Her lessons last longer until she does._

_This is how I'm trying to distance myself from the past. By destroying it._

Soon they all start to overwhelm me, and they start to bury me under.

_But no matter what I do...I can never do it alone._

_"Jason..." _Batman appears and takes my hand and helps me out. "...It's time…"

He pulls me out. "_...Time to come back home...for good." _Then the world changes. I'm in a garden, this place is probably the most beautiful place in my mind. Batman stands in front of me. I'm now wearing my usual Red Hood outfit.

"_There's no place for me there, Bruce." _I take off my helmet as a tear rolls down my eyes. "_I've tried to be the good soldier. But even as a part of your family...I failed you...again!" _I clench my teeth and look at the ground as I hold my helmet.

He puts his hand on my shoulder as I look away from him. "_There is too much talk about blame between us, Jason. There always has been. We have to let it go. We have both done things we regret. But the one thing I never apologized for…is taking a chance on you."_

I clench my teeth and let the tears roll down my eyes as I look down.

I open my eyes.

Bruce is holding my hand. He sees me opening my eyes, and he looks at me. I can feel my eyes getting moist. "I'm so…"

"Shsh." He puts my hand down, sits me up and hugs me.

**A/N: We got that part from Red Hood and The Outlaws #018, but we changed a few lines to make it fit with the story. Yes, we repeated what we said earlier at the beginning of the chapter, just to put emphasis that we do not own DC comics...sadly...**

****Break****

I sit here on my old bed, staring at the ground in my old room. The room that I used to sleep in when I was a kid.

I turn my head to look at the head of the bed, and I remember not being able to sleep the first time I came here. "_I wouldn't blame you." _I turn my head back towards the door when I hear light footsteps.

I was expecting Alfred. But instead the girl that was hanging on a rope in my dream is right at the door. Closing the door and smiling slyly as if she has never gone through what she just did last night. I don't think that one entire day of rest is enough after being buried alive and almost beaten to death. But here she is, leaning on the door.

"Hey Jay Bird." Her voice is soft.

"I told you not to call me that." I say, looking at her.

"How did you get sneak passed your 'guards'?" I ask, talking about The Replacement and The Demon. She smirks.

Then her smirk quickly disappears and she leaves the subject. "When are we leaving?" She asks.

"Now." I start to stand up, but a wave of dizziness brings me back down.

She sighs. "We need to talk." I stand back up, and this time there's no nausea. "We can talk later, we need to go, now." She doesn't move out of the way as I stand here in front of my old bed.

"You're in my way." I state, still standing.

"Listen, Jase…" She says.

"Move, Autumn." I say, but she just leans on the door.

"Sit down." She maybe my little sister, but she doesn't get to tell me what to do.

"I said get out of my way." I say seriously. She tenses as if living in an old memory, but she doesn't get out of the way. I start to walk slowly towards the door, putting my foot forward.

"I said 'sit down'." She says so forcefully, that somehow, gravity pulls me down and glues my ass to the bed.

"Fine...but make it quick." I say.

She sighs. "Jase...why don't you just...stay here?" I look away from her and out the large window.

"Why do I get the feeling that I knew you were gonna say that?" I mumble. "You know that won't happen." I say louder. "I don't belong here." I say through clenched teeth, trying to fight back tears.

"Why not? You and your dad just fixed things between the two of you. He just asked you to come home. The doors are wide open for you Jason. They want you to go home, for good." I just look away from her and look at the shadows and the bright light of the full moon.

"I know you wanna stay here, this place, it's your home. They, your family, all want you to stay here. But, it's your choice whether you choose to stay here or not." I'm not gonna look at her. she has those annoying sad puppy dog eyes that she uses to get anyone to do what she wants. She used it on me once, and it worked miserably.

"But Jason...let me ask you a question…" Her voice turns into a whisper. "What if...what if one day, you wake up...and find out that your family left?" I squeeze the edge of the bed and clench my teeth. "What if they leave...and never come back? You wake up one morning and find out that they're gone? All of them."

"...Nothing lasts forever, Jason...one day they'll all just disappear, and you'll never see them again...they'll leave and never come back...and you won't be able to do anything about it."

I shut my eyes as warmth roll down my cheeks and to my black jacket.

"What will you do then, huh?" She asks. "You'll probably just sit there...and...and regret…regret not being able to even get to say goodbye one last time...or not being able to tell them what you really wanted to say...or not spending the last moments with them. You will wish, for one last day to spend with them, even if it's a short day." She sighs. "I know...I've been through it…"

"But whether you're the one who will die or one of them, you will regret not coming home, once you get separated from them, forever, you will wonder why in this goddamned world... did you not get to say "goodbye" or "I'm sorry" or "I love you" to your family. Haven't you learned, Jason?"

"When you died the first time...I know that it hurt, and I know that you don't remember much. But when you came back, did you just once thrive for one last word to say to them or one last moment with your family?"

"I did…"

"Did you? Or were you too blind with your rage to wish for that one happy last moment to spend with them...just before you died...weren't you sorry? Didn't you strive for one last minute with them?" A short silence and I can almost hear a pin hit the ground.

"Yes…" I answer.

"Then why did you suddenly forget that? Just because you came back once, doesn't mean you can't die again. And your family...they're not invincible. One day your family could lose you forever, or you could lose them...either way, you'll lose something. Dead or alive."

She sighs harder. "I'm not forcing you to stay here Jay Bird. No one is. It's your choice. But I'll be at your side as your friend at all times big bro, at least until the day I have to leave for good." I dart my head up, but she's already gone. The door is wide open with artificial life seeping in.

I sigh, letting out all the tension. Since when did my sister get all wise?

****Break****

**Autumn's POV**

I start walking away from the mansion's large brown front door. Hopefully, no one has learned that I'm awake now, and I'm walking away as they sleep or watch movies.

I'm still injured from the events of last night. But it's not that critical. It's nothing.

But with every step that I take, it hurts, physically...and mentally...but I'll just shake it off.

I hear the main door open. I stop and I turn around. Jason is heading my way, looking down with Dick and Bruce standing by the door staring sadly...looking like the hope has just drained from their faces. Poor guys, hoping to finally bring Jason home.

"You always have a home here."

"Why won't you just stay Little WIng? This is home after all." A sigh.

"It's your decision."

Soon Jason comes to my side. He doesn't stop like I do, he just keeps walking towards the main golden gates. I hold his sleeve and stop him from walking. He turns to me.

"The doors are wide open, Jase...it's not too late to go through them." I can feel Bruce Wayne's and Dick Grayson's eyes on us. But I know they can't hear what we're talking about.

"I...I can't stay, there's nothing for me there." I shake my head.

"There's nothing for you out there. But here, you have a home, a family that's willing to take you back home. He's your dad, Jase. You miss this place. He's giving you a chance to change things right here, right now. All you have to do is walk back to your dad…but it's up to you if you're going to take that chance and change things and get back to your family...and make it a complete family."

"What about-"

"Forget about all the other things for now. You can walk through those gates and out into the cold dark streets of Gotham and just keep running away from your past, or...you can come back to a warm and cozy manor and face it."

He turns his head, looking at his big brother and father. I know Dick is waving at him and smiling without even having to turn around and check for myself.

"When you said that you'll always be by my side…" He says not looking at me, I nod.

"I won't lead, I won't follow, but I will walk beside you."

"You really m-"

I nod. "Every word."

He doesn't look at me when he bows his head. "You mean that now…"

I shake my head. "I mean that always bro." I smile.

He looks at me and stares for a while, then he smiles, a true genuine smile. "Then, you're coming with me." He takes my hand and pulls me back to the main door, towards his dad and brother.

"Where?" I ask, trying to hide my tiny smile.

"We're going home, sis. For good."

**A/N: We are thinking of doing an interview chapter later in the story, so if you have any questions that you would like any of the characters to answer, please let us know in the reviews. Thanks! Also, expect a poll relating to the story to come up soon!**


	23. Changes

**Chapter 23: Changes**

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews guys! We really appreciate them, even if some are constructive criticism. Well, we welcome constructive criticism, so yeah. So just so that you guys know...we're adding Young Justice to the plot, in the later chapters! Yay! (If you don't know YJ, then we suggest you search it now...you have no life...) So, we hope you guys get some of the references we put in the last chapters...well, you wouldn't really understand some of them, if you don't watch the shows or read the books that the references are from. And yes, there are a lot of stuff that we got from a bunch of Batman movies, especially B:UTRH. So if you're confused by something, like Autumn suddenly being calm just after being buried alive...well, just read and all will be revealed!**

**No, we don't put our disclamers at the beggining of every chapter cause, well...we obviously don't own DC comics, if we did...we wouldn't let Damian die in the New 52. (Spoilers for those who haven't read. Yeah, if you don't know that...and just suddenly became sad because we told you that...TOO BAD! Even though it's common knowledge). Hehe...Damian died...*reminds you.* (That was a clue.)**

**Okay, so we'll shut up now, and let you read this awesome, or maybe not so awesome chapter.**

**Autumn's POV**

I think Jason and his dad are celebrating or something and telling the rest of the family that he's home. I don't really know what they're doing, maybe they're having some kind of emotional talk, which is weird cause I can't imagine anyone from Jason's family letting out their emotions.

Me? Well, Alfred Pennyworth is leading me to my room and explaining some stuff to me about some stuff.

I know I said what I said and I meant it, but sooner or later, Mr. Wayne will realize that he just let the kid that almost killed his family into his own house. Then he'll throw me into Arkham, again.

I keep my body stiff as I walk down the halls of this huge castle. I'm curious and everything, especially about the library, but I keep my head down on the floor, away from anything else. I don't think any of the Wayne family has noticed me yet since they're all downstairs with Jason talking in the living room.

I don't know why, but I feel like I'm being taken prisoner even if the one escorting me is an old man (though Jason says otherwise) and even if my "prison cell" is a room in one huge house that is built on top of pure gold.

I keep my eyes downcast, my body stiff, my shoulders up and my hands right at my sides. When they find out that I'm going to live here from now on, what will the others say?

Now that their enemy is now living under the same roof as they are. I don't think it would matter, I'll be out of this place by tomorrow, they'll kick me out once Mr. Wayne realizes that he's just let ME into his own home.

They can let Jason back home because he's their son, but who am I to them? I am an enemy, not a friend, not an ally, I am an enemy.

Mr. Wayne was the one who told me to come in and ask Mr. Pennyworth to give me a room. He must have been way too shocked by the sudden change of his second son's mind that he forgot that I was an enemy, which shouldn't really be possible, since he's Batman, and I'm sure that Mr. Wayne doesn't realize how human he really is.

We stop by a door just down the hall right in front of one of one of the occupied rooms, I wonder who's room that is.

Alfred opens the door and gestures for me to walk in. The room has a queen sized bed, a dresser and a wooden desk, a washroom, a TV, and a huge window by the side of the bed with simple long red curtains tied to the sides of the window so that it won't touch the ground...it looks like a bedroom...an empty bedroom.

"Tomorrow, you can take your possessions from your old house and bring them here, but for now, I think there are some clothes of Ms. Christine that you may wear for tonight."

"Okay Mr. Pennyworth." I say looking down, then I look up at probably the most important person to the people that ever lived in this house. I can feel the warmth around him just as I stand next to the old man. "But, I'm telling you now, I won't last long." I say looking back down at the floor.

I can feel a small smile coming on. "You're aren't as bad as they say you are Miss Autumn." Well, then he obviously doesn't know me, yet. "Oh and please address me as Alfred. Dinner will be in a few minutes." He says and I look up at him and give a small fake smile. He leaves and closes the door. I just met the famous Alfred Pennyworth, the grandfather Jason talks about from time to time.

I turn back to the huge dark room and I sigh. I feel like it was a long time ago when Ducra dropped me off in that prison cell.

I don't know why, but this is the worst "prison cell" I've ever been to through my entire life.

**Chris' POV**

I CAN'T BELIEVE JASON'S BACK! I knew that Bruce and Dick really wanted him to come back, but I didn't think he would all of a sudden. Maybe the shock of almost losing Autumn kinda did something to him.

MIXED FEELINGS...

I seriously don't know how to think about all this... I guess I'd better enjoy whatever's going on right now.

Bruce, Dick, Tim, Damian, Alfred (who just came from downstairs), and I are all downstairs with Jason. Bruce is standing next to a Jason who is being hugged to death by Dick. Tim is talking to him about something, and Damian and I are being aloof from the mini Welcome Back party.

"Hey Alfred!" Jason motions for Alfred to join the group.

"Welcome back Master Jason." Alfred has a smile on his face, and I mean an unusually large smile. It's actually kinda creepy since I've never really seen him smile this large.

I kinda zone out of what everyone else is saying and get lost in a daydream. I'm woken up when next to me, Damian starts speaking.

"I don't understand what all this nonsense is about. Todd's back. Yay. Why is Father making such a big deal about this?"

"Hey this is a big deal! Especially to Dad. You would understand that if you weren't so jealous."

"I am not jealous! Maybe you're the one who's jealous since Cross has moved into the family too!" Damian raises his voice, and everyone stops talking and turns to him.

What? Autumn's part of the family?! When did this happen? How does Damian know this and I don't?! Maybe he's joking...but still...what the hell is he talking about?

"Dad, tell me he's joking..." I turn my head and look at Bruce, and everyone's eyes follow. He just stays silent, there's my answer.

"Wait really? Um..."

I don't know what to say. I can't believe Dad invited that psycho into our house...into this family. Well, he did just take back his insane son...are those two really that inseparable?

On the other hand, there's another girl in the family! I'm no longer living on this, as my friend Mark would call it, island of testosterone.

Wait a minute...

"How do you know this?" I turn a suspicious eye toward my little brother.

"Well, during all the commotion, I noticed Pennyworth leading Cross up the stairs. I just assumed that he was leading her to a room. I thought that she was only staying the night, but apparently she's actually _living_ with us. I only said that she's part of the family to make a comeback."

"Were you planning on telling us or were you just going to let us find out on our own?" Dick asks Bruce.

"I was planning on telling you after things settled down."

"So that things could riot up all over again?" Tim asks.

"Well..."

"What matters is that our family is complete, now that Master Jason _and _Miss Autumn are here." That shuts everyone up. Alfred has a way of getting everyone to listen, like Batman does. "Dinner is ready. Miss Christine, would you please bring Miss Autumn down."

"But-" Both Alfred's and Bruce's glares cut me off. "Fine." I whisper as I slightly lower my head and head for the stairs.

I quietly walk down the hallway when I realize I have no idea where her room is. Ok so all the rooms are in the same area, including all the guest rooms, even though we will never have that many guests, unless the entire justice league has a sleepover...haha now I totally wanna see that happen...just the thought of it is hilarious...

The doors are pretty spread out, since all the rooms are pretty large and have their own bathrooms. My room is next to Dick's, and his is next to an empty room...maybe that's her room. Why has that room even been unoccupied all these years? Anyway, for the rooms across the hallway, Tim's is the closest to the stairwell, and then two doors down was the once locked room. Now, it's owner has returned. Jason. The room in between is unoccupied. That's also the room across from mine. That one seems more likely to be Autumn's. Wait a minute, that means the first thing I see every morning when I open the door is Autumn's room, or even worse, Autumn coming out of it...why? Alfred...dammit.

Just to make sure, I open the door to the ghost room. Empty, except for the queen bed, dresser, bedside table, and desk...and the open window with white curtains flowing in the wind...this room is eerie.

I quietly close the door and head to the door across from mine. If she's not here, then she's somewhere in this vast hallway of doors, and I don't want to waste my time looking through every guest room in this house just to find this girl who I don't really care about. I could just walk back downstairs and let her starve...ok that's a little harsh.

Besides, she's bound to come down sooner or later, not that she wants to or anything. When I first came here, I immediately loved it. But she didn't live the life I did. Who knows what goes on in that funny little head of hers?

I approach the door and I'm about to knock (I don't know why I didn't bother knocking on the other door...I think I already knew she wasn't there) when the door swings open, revealing a girl with wavy, black hair, teal green eyes, and pale skin staring at me. She's shorter than me, but only by an inch or so. After her ordeal, she looks a little better, but she's obviously drained of her energy, although I'm sure she's capable of doing...whatever she can do under certain situations.

"Umm...dinner's ready. Hey, nice shir- wait THAT'S MY SHIRT! AND ARE THOSE MY SWEATS?!" She's wearing my blue 'Come To The Dork Side We Have Pi (the symbol not the word)' shirt and what looks like my grey sweats. Yes I'm a nerd...just not a serious nerd like Tim, I'm just smart. Well at least she's not wearing my Toms or Converse. Her feet look a bit big to fit in my shoes anyway.

Autumn just walks past me, as if I'm not even there. Ugh...I guess I'll let it go for now..she's been through a lot. Where did she even get my clothes? I thought they were in the laundry.

I follow her down the stairs. When she reaches the bottom, she looks to her left, then to her right. I realize that she has no idea where the dining room is. I walk past her, turn left, and walk toward the door that leads to the kitchen, which then leads to the dining room. I open the door and turn my head to find Autumn following me. I enter the room and don't even bother holding the door open, but when the door closes, I don't hear it open again. I don't have to turn around to know that she slipped through the space between the closing door and the doorpost just so she doesn't have to open the door again. I do that too...

I walk through the kitchen, grab a strawberry from the counter, and take a bite out of it as I enter the dining room, Autumn right behind me. I can actually feel the tension in the air.

I walk in the dining room. Everyone is already seated down, that usual empty seat that no one ever sits on is where Jason is seated right now. I take a seat in my usual seat and Autumn sits on another empty seat at the end of the other table. It's complete silence, I don't even hear the clinking of silverware on the plates. I glance at everyone.

Dick, Tim, and Damian are all glaring at Autumn who is looking down at her plate. Bruce is looking at all of us at the end of the table and Jason is looking down at his plate, clenching his fist. I shrug and start eating my dinner.

After less than even a minute of silence, Damian stands up, nearly toppling over his seat. "I can't take this anymore." He points to Autumn who is still staring down at her cold food. "Father, do you not see? She is the enemy! Why do you let her live under your roof!"

Bruce glares at Damian with his elbows on the table. "Damian." Dad scolds.

But Damian is being stubborn again. "Father! She does not belong here! I understand why Todd is here, but her!? Why not just send her to the orphanage instead?!" He says.

"Damian."

"I know that I am not the only one who thinks this." He glances at me, Dick and Tim. "I presume that none of you want her here either!"

"Honestly, no." I say softly. I hate tension.

Dick shakes his head. "After all she did to us." He says, holding his neck.

Tim looks down, playing with his food. "I...I...I also, don't want her here…" He says quietly.

"See, father! Banish her from your home!" Damian points to the seat that Autumn was in. But Autumn isn't seated there anymore, all that's left is a full plate of cold food.

Bruce glares at Damian. Jason stands up and starts walking out of the dining room, but Bruce stops him and shakes his head. "No, Jason."

"Why not?" WIth one look from Bruce, his shoulders drop. He sighs.

"Fine." He says. "I'll talk to her later." Jason says walking out of the dining room and up the stairs.

"We need to talk. All of you." Bruce glares at all of us.

"Now? Cause I really wanna finish my food...I'm starving," then I lower my voice even lower than it already is, "even though I just ate a bunch of strawberries 30 minutes ago."

Bruce stares at me, not glares, and then sighs. "No. We need to talk. Now."

****Break****

We're in Bruce's study. "Father! I do not understand why you let her live here!"

"Yeah, after almost killing us. Dad, I think we need a good explanation for this." Dick says. "She should be in Arkham. Getting over her insanity."

"Dad, she shouldn't be here." Tim says.

"For once, I agree with Drake." Damian says disgustedly.

"We want Jason back home. He's our brother. But, Autumn...I don't know Bruce...after everything…" Tim says, remembering the scars.

Bruce sighs. "Listen, I know that this is a big change. It's going to take a while for us to welcome her into the family-"

"She isn't a part of this family. She tried to destroy it." Damian points out.

"But, Jason isn't going anywhere without his sister." Bruce says.

"Why?" I ask. He glares at me.

"Chris, if you were to be separated from your brothers, how would you feel?"

I look down. "Alone."

He nods. "Exactly."

I shoot my head up. "But-"

He waves his hand. "Get to know her first and see if you will let her into this family." He says.

I sigh. "But Dad-"

"No more buts." We all frown and Damian's the first to open the door and walk out of the room. "Dick, call her. Tell her to come here." He says.

"Fine." Dick says and we all walk out.

**Autumn's POV**

I look out the window, staring up at the clouded moon. I can almost feel a small smile tugging at the edge of my lips when I see a few stars awake tonight.

When I was on the streets, there were hardly ever any stars out, there was at least one or two but sometimes they'd turn out to be helicopters.

Before, when my mom was still...okay.

I used to stand by the window and stare up at the sky, every time I saw a star in the sky, I would gasp and smile, knowing that there's some kind of light out there. But when I turned around, I never knew that the star would be clouded by a thick and dark cloud, telling me that sooner or later, the light will vanish, and I wouldn't even know it.

I just stare at the sky, at the many stars. There are only a few dark clouds tonight.

When I was on the streets, I would stare up at the sky and look for a star, but there was no star in sight, there was only a bright Bat Signal scaring all the scumbags in the city. All were afraid, except me. I hated the Bat, I wanted revenge on the Bat...I don't know if I still do. I would look down and frown.

After each night that I slept on the streets, I stopped looking up at the night sky, knowing that there were no stars to look at anyway.

But now, there are stars in the sky. My mom used to tell me that the bright stars in the sky told me about hope. But even now, even with the stars littered across the dark blue sky, I still feel empty inside. Just because there is hope in the sky doesn't mean there is hope in my heart.

There could be just a tiny bit, but I think that that hope just melted away after what Dami said earlier.

What he said didn't really disturb me much, I was used to being insulted, but what really hurt was the truth behind it. Not the fact that they don't want me here, heck if it wasn't for Jason, I'd be outta here.

But the fact that, I can never belong to a family, that there aren't people out there to take me in and just be there for me. The fact that I'm unwanted by anyone, it's what really hurts.

A slight knock on my door takes me out of my thoughts. "Go to the study, Bruce wants to talk to you." Dick's unusual unhappy voice says on the other side of the door. There's a short silence, then the light footsteps walk away from the room.

I open the door and walk to the study. Where could the study be? I look down the hall.

Then I pass by Tim, who's walking the other way. He points to the door a few feet behind him. "Study's over there." I move away from him and walk towards the study without a single word.

I enter the room. There's a desk, some bookshelves, a huge window, and a huge grandfather clock.

He's glaring at me, the same way I glared at Christine when I was still in Arkham. I nearly shudder at the thought of Arkham...that place.

I sit down on one of the seats in front of the desk, facing him.

"Autumn."

"Yes?" I look down as I say this.

"You're going to live here now." He states and I stay quiet. "I'll need to give you a few simple rules."

I nod slightly. "Understood." I say, still looking down.

"No swearing, make sure to do whatever Alfred and I tell you to, I don't want you getting into any fights with the others. No guns and no killing." A heavy silence, he's probably rethinking this whole mess and wondering if he made a mistake and that he should just send me off to Blackgate instead.

"Tomorrow, we'll drive you to your old house and you can collect your things. You'll do that first thing in the morning." I nod.

"Remember, Autumn. Respect is a heavy word." I have no problem respecting others, he probably thinks that I'm just like Jason. I look up, and keep my mouth closed, my face hard, and my eyes intensely staring into his soul. I see a man hiding behind the shadows.

"Soon, you will be going to school."

"School, sir?" He furrows his eyebrows for some reason. "I'm dead." I say before he can say anything else.

"I have decided that I am going to legally resurrect you and your brother. It will take some time though." I wonder how he's going to explain that to the press.

"If you're going to live here, I want you to have a good education." He says and I nod. "I understand." I'm in robot mode.

"But by the time summer ends, you will be going to school as a new student."

"Which school?"

"You are going to Gotham Academy.

"Wow." I feel like slapping my mouth for letting a comment escape.

"What?"

"Nothing. It's just, to a private school already?" I'm lying. I'm surprised because he's already fixing all these documents and getting ready to send me off to school in just a few days, when obviously, I'll just screw this up and he'll kick me out and send me to an orphanage where I'll escape from since they're just gonna kick me out once I turn 18 anyways. Then I'll be back on the streets. It doesn't matter, I'm used to it.

"Yes." He nods. I'm glad that he didn't catch my lie.

"Listen, Autumn. I don't plan on replacing your dad." I clench my fists at the mention of my dad, but I hide my fists and I let him continue. "But I will not let you live on the streets."

WHAT RIGHT DOES HE HAVE TO MENTION MY DAD! HE LET HIM DIE! AND HE DIDN'T KILL THE CLOWN WHO MURDERED MY DAD! AND NOW, HE THINKS THAT HE CAN JUST MENTION MY DAD OUT OF NO WHERE?!

I sigh and I nod instead of letting my emotions out. He continues. "You will be living under strict rules, Autumn. But I'm only giving you these rules because I care."

YOU DON'T CARE! YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT ME! YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW ME!

But I keep my mouth shut no matter how much I wanna yell. He hasn't said one word about what I did to him and his family, maybe if I keep my mouth shut about my anger towards him, maybe he'll keep his mouth shut about the events that happened in the past months.

"Sure." I whisper, now looking down at the sweat pants.

"One more thing, Autumn. I cannot allow you to continue being Phoenix. Phoenix makes your mentality worse, I cannot allow you to continue fighting crime." He furrows his eyebrows slightly when he says "fighting crime." I clench my fists even tighter, but I make sure it isn't obvious. "I don't want you to lose control over your actions, you can end up hurting yourself." Don't you mean, others? "Unless, you learn to control your actions, and stop...destroying." He uses another term for killing, huh.

I can almost taste the metal in my mouth with the blood dripping down my lower lip. But I suck in the blood, and open my mouth.

"Do you understand the rules." He states more than he asks. There's a heavy silence. I think he's waiting for me to burst out or something. "Autumn." He calls my name and I look up at him, with a clear, emotionless, hard face. The expression that I used when I was talking to the commander when I was in Africa.

"Yes, sir." I nod and I stand up and walk out the door without letting him utter another word to me.

I rush towards the room that I am now sleeping in and pass by Carter and Damian. I shut the door and go back to staring at the sky through the window. No matter what he does or say, Phoenix is a part of me, always has been and always with me. He can never take her away from me, no matter what.

Phoenix is all my rage, all my anger, Phoenix was born in my fire. No matter what Bruce does, he can never take that rage away from me. He helped make Phoenix, he can't take her away, he can never make my rage disappear.

**Bruce's POV**

I sigh and Alfred walks into my study with a tray in hand, a pot of tea on top of the tray. He sets it down. I rub my face. "Alfred."

"I assume that had gone quite well." He says, pouring a hot cup of tea.

"A little too well, Alfred. She didn't yell, or complain, she hardly even talked. She didn't say anything once I brought up the issue of Phoenix and her father, she just stayed silent and sat there, like a...like a statue."

He gives me the cup. "She hardly looked at me, Alfred. I was expecting her to complain or yell or do something. But she didn't."

"Then it is obvious that she is quite different from Master Jason." Alfred says, not looking away from what he's doing.

"She hardly questioned anything I said, she just sat stiff, biting her lip and looking at the floor." I gesture to the empty seat. "She called me 'sir', Alfred."

"She could have a lot of respect for her elders."

I sigh. "She didn't protest, she didn't look around, she just kept a completely unreadable face when she talked. The way she said things was like a robot." I shake my head as I hold the cup.

"The girl has obviously been through a lot, then. To keep that such a straight face while talking to you."

"No, Alfred. She kept a completely emotionless face, the same face I use while handling criminals." I tell him.

"That isn't quite odd in my book, Master Bruce. As you have said before, she is unpredictable." Alfred quotes.

"But don't you think that it is odd, how she didn't say anything? Especially since I took away Phoenix from her?"

"The girl has gone through a lot. I am not entirely sure about what she has gone through, but I am positive that it was a lot, and she only moved in today. You cannot expect the girl to open up after just a few hours. Don't you recall Master Jason when you first took him in?"

I sigh. He picks up the tray and walks out the door.

That's Alfred for you. He tells you something, then leaves you alone to ponder on it. Everyone should have an Alfred.

****Break****

**Jason's POV**

I walk down the hallway and knock on Autumn's door. "Hey sis?" I ask and I open the door.

All I see is a messy bed, a dresser, a TV, and a desk, but there's no one in here. Maybe she went downstairs, but I didn't see her. Then on the other side of the bed, her head pops up. She stands up, rubbing her face.

"Ow." She comments.

"What were you doing on the floor."

She shrugs. "Meh."

I shake my head. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means, I don't feel like telling you the reason why." The sun is shining, and the curtains are closed, but I can still see the dark circles under her eyes.

"Couldn't sleep huh?"

I shrug. "You get used to it."

"What? To not sleeping or to the mansion?" She asks and I smirk.

"Go eat breakfast, then get ready."

"For what, again?" She asks, rubbing the back of her neck.

"We're gonna go get our stuff, remember?"

"Oh yea." She says. I shut the door and start walking downstairs.

I walk into the dining room. Today, nobody's home: Bruce has some stuff to take care of at Wayne Enterprises, Dick is at Barbara's, Tim is, well I have no idea what that nerd does during the summer, Chris and Damian are in the cave training. So that leaves me with Alfred and Autumn.

"Good morning, Master Jason." Alfred greets. I smile slightly. "Morning Al." He sets a plate down on the long wooden table right in front of _my_ seat and I sit there.

Autumn walks in and sits right in front of me. That's Dick's chair, so I doubt that he will mind, he's the Golden Boy anyways. Alfred sets down a plate in front of Autumn and she stares at it for a while. "Thanks." She mumbles.

She starts eating, quietly and carefully, like every move she's making is calculated in her mind.

"So...how's your stay here, so far?" I ask.

She frowns. "It's only been one night."

"Yeah, but don't you think it's huge? There's a library upstairs."

"I know."

"You thinking about checking it out?"

"No." She says. I thought she loved books?

"Okay…but on my first stay here, I got lost a lot of times. I was messed up."

"That's why I'd like to stay in my room and not leave the comfort of my own space."

"You aren't curious?"

"I am but...nah."

"What the hell? What kind of an answer is that."

"Master Jason, language."

"Sorry Al."

"Yeah Jason, language." She looks up at me and smirks. I glare at her. "It also takes you a lot of time to adjust with _rules_." She chuckles slightly.

"Now that, Miss Autumn, I would have to agree on. Master Jason had much trouble adjusting to the new rules Master Bruce had given him the first time he moved in." Alfred says.

"Yeah, Jason's not very big on rules. I don't think he will ever be."

"Huh, look who's talking."

"I only disobeyed your orders once. Besides, who saved your life more than once."

"I saved yours more than you saved mine."

"Nah, you get yourself into way too much trouble. That's why I have to bail you out of trouble."

"That isn't me. That's Roy." I mumble. "Sorry what was that? I couldn't hear you over the sound of me winning this argument."

"So tell me Alfred? How many times was Bruce pissed off at Jason for disobeying and reckless behavior?" She turns her head to Alfred, smirking as if he already knows the answer.

I can feel Alfred's warm smile behind me. "Quite a number of times actually."

"See, Jase. And how many times did I go all reckless and waay too arrogant?"

I glare at her, shoving a spoon into my mouth. I swallow. "Once." I grumble. "How many times did I mess up the mission?"

I eat the last spoonful and sigh, then I stand up. "My family's arrogance better not be rubbing off on you."

She puts a spoon in her mouth and smirks. "Look who's talking." She grumbles after swallowing her food.

I roll my eyes and walk out of the dining room, leaving Autumn and Alfred to talk, or just in complete silence, whichever Autumn's more comfortable with, I don't really care.

I guess I'd better get ready. Alfred's taking us back to the house in a bit.

****Break****

We didn't even have to direct Alfred to the house. I guess Bruce told him where it was. For some reason, the surroundings I've been living in for the past months suddenly looks strange and unfamiliar. The mansion will do that you, I guess.

The car slows and I turn my head to look out the window. The nice house looks out of place in this grubby neighborhood. However, I know that once I open that front door, I'll find myself surrounded by a reminder of what happened before...when I nearly lost my sis.

"I believe we are here. I'll wait here while you go and gather your things. Please don't take too long."

I open the car door and step out, then I hold the door as Autumn slowly emerges. She has a straight face on, but I know she's probably recalling memories of this place. If they're good or bad, I'm not sure.

I approach the door and turn the knob, and the door swings open.

**Autumn's POV**

I stand behind Jason as he opens the door. He walks in and turns on the lights.

I sigh and walk in from behind him. He heads straight for his room and I head for mine.

I grab the biggest black duffle bag in my closet and stuff all of my clothes in, as fast as I can. Not bothering to make it all neat and whatnot. I wanna get out of here as soon as possible.

Why? First, because I don't live here anymore, and I hate remembering. Two, because maybe, the sooner I can get out of this place, the sooner I can get rid of my dad's ghost. Maybe the ghost will stop following me, maybe once I officially move out of this place then the ghost will also move out of my mind.

But no matter what happens, he's still my father, no matter how much I hate him. He'll always be my father and that fact will follow and haunt me until my death. My anger against him will probably just keep on growing as long as he is my father.

Which sucks.

I walk to my guitar and hold it. Should I bring it? Should I not? I love playing the guitar, but I hate my dad...Meh, I don't care if he gave it to me, I love playing the guitar. I'll bring it.

I keep my guitar in its case and wear it on my back. I take my laptop, my ipod, my phone, and some of my very important papers, like some of my poems and stories...and some...other stuff, and I'm set.

I walk out of my room carrying my stuff. I turn my head and look around the empty room, and I frown. The place looks neat and clean, the sun is shining in my room. I shake my head slightly and I shut the door.

I stop in front of the door staring at the empty hallway. The hallway is small compared to the hallways in the castle of the Waynes'.

I remember walking down these halls, just smiling, feeling bubbly for some stupid reason. I was carrying a poster, a poster of Batman and his sidekick, I'm not sure which sidekick though. I smirk, I was so naive then.

I didn't expect that Batman was going to end up being the one who would be my enemy, so he used to be one of my heroes. Even if I disapproved of his methods.

Then I stopped caring about Batman. He didn't save my dad, he didn't kill The Joker, he didn't do anything. What kind of a hero does nothing?

I started hating him.

Now, I despise all heroes. They lock the bad guys up, just so they can break out and kill more innocent people again?

Although, it's kinda funny, I'll be living with them from now on.

I walk towards the couch, that still isn't fixed and up right. But I remember watching a movie with my dad. I fell asleep on the couch beside him once, and he scratched my head because I asked him to, and he ended up sleeping on the couch too, beside me.

Jason comes out of his room, carrying bags too. "There better not be any guns in there Jase." I comment and he smirks but doesn't answer. He walks towards the door and opens it with his free hand.

He turns to me. "Let's go?" I take one last look at the place. Maybe I can come back here and visit. I smile and turn my back on the place. "Yeah." We walk out of the doorway and Jason locks the door.

I walk towards the car and I don't look back. I try to keep on moving forward, even if I feel as if the house is glaring at my back.

****Break****

I sit at the side of the car staring out the window, my hand on my cheek as the buildings, the trees, and the houses pass by.

That's when the memory hits me.

The world becomes dark and I hear mumbling and the dropping of metal.

A girl appears, she's obviously me. I don't need to look at her face to know that she's me. I know because she's by the garbage dump searching for anything metal or useful to sell.

I can hear myself mumbling to nobody in a different language. Yeah, that's me alright.

My past self finds some soda cans and metal and stuffs it in a bag. She's wearing a dirty white shirt that's too big for her and tattered jeans, she looks thin and obviously malnourished, her face looks dirty and wounded. She walks away from the garbage dump dragging the sack with her.

I follow myself to the scrap yard and sell the soda cans just for a few bucks, enough to buy a cold hard loaf of bread for herself and a few bucks will go to her brother's food. She doesn't complain. There's no point.

She walks down an alley and I follow her watching her as she slowly eats the loaf of bread and pockets the extra money.

She passes by a boy, who's sitting by a corner eying her as she eats the bread and pass by. He looks like a street kid too, a young street kid, with big brown eyes and messy black hair.

My younger self doesn't smile but she walks up to the boy and offers him the loaf of bread. He stares at it, then looks up at her. "I'm not that hungry anyways. Take it." He senses her lie, but he takes it and chomps down the loaf of bread.

A small smile tugs at her lips and she just continues to walk forward. "Wait." The boy calls. She turns around. "Don't you want anything in return?" She looks at him, her eyelids low as if she's tired and hungry. "There's one thing." I look at the kid, I know that his stomach is dropping. "Just remember my face." She says and turns around and walks towards an old building.

She climbs up a rusty fire escape and enters one of the windows. She hears screaming and yelling of a man and a woman.

She sees her little brother on the floor, at the mercy of a bat. Nico cries as he lays on the floor. Papa holds his bat up as mom tries to stop him and begs.

Papa's eyes are wide and angry, his blond hair falling down his face, and there's a small bruise at the edge of his mouth. He's about to strike when the girl runs and slides on the floor then she holds Nico, wrapping him in her thin and small arms. "No!" She says closing her eyes and holding her little brother.

"MOVE!" Papa's rough voice echoes as he holds the bat over his head. "NO!" She yells.

"Beat me instead, just don't hurt my brother!" She yells as she embraces him, protecting him as he cries. "Fine." Papa smacks the girl's back and her brother cries.

He strikes her back over and over as she holds on to her little brother. Blood starts to stain the bat and I can hear the cracking of bones as she takes the beating for her brother. She lets the tears fall, but she doesn't scream, her mom does that for her, and her brother yells and cries as she holds him. But her family can't really do anything but listen to bones cracking and blood dripping.

Then I'm pulled back into reality once we hit a hump. Then just as I've escaped dream land, I enter another memory.

But this memory is different.

This isn't painful just because it's a horrible memory, it's painful because I can actually feel it happening around me. Like I'm actually reliving it, mentally.

The car hits a hump and I bounce. I suddenly feel the world shaking, the loud ringing in my ears, the blood dripping down my mouth and hands, the fire burning my skin off and stabbing me with fear. I look around. The world is a blur, I hold on to what seems to be the edge of the door.

I can hear my heavy breathing as the world shakes, but other than that I hear nothing else. My eyes widen as I feel the whole world tremble. I look around with fearful eyes. I can feel the burning and the shaking.

Then the walls around me start closing in, and darkness closes in on me. Crap. I'm reliving what happened a few days ago...the coffin...the grave...the screaming...the blood.

Reality blurs and everything quakes. The escape pod and the coffin are mixing in one memory and surrounding me. No…I can't...No...no...no…

I look around and dart my head frantically. The world is spinning, it's dark yet filled with fire. I feel cold and frozen yet I'm burning. The world is convulsing yet it's so still. I quake as I sit. Reality and my nightmares are mixing up. I know I'm in the car, in my seat, yet at the same time, I feel like I'm in the escape pod and in the coffin.

I let out a small trembling sound, my lips quivers, and my eyes are wide.

Then the car comes to a stop and I'm pushed into reality. "Autumn?"

I shake my head and tremble. I move over Jason and open the door on his side and move across Jason's lap. I run out of the car, Alfred's just opened the main door and I rush inside.

The world starts to blur and shake again. My eyes dart desperately for the stairs. I find it and start to run to it.

"Hey Autumn?!" Jason says behind me. I run up the stairs, down the hallway and towards my room.

But as I run towards the room, I bump into someone's chest. I stop and search the hallway for my target, my room. I can't find it in this blur.

I can feel someone hold my arm, but not harshly. "Hey. Can you watch where you're going?" Someone says through my haze. "Hey, Autumn?" The guy says. I don't look up at him because I'm shooting my head around this mix of doors for my room.

I find my target, the door to my room. "Gah!" I give a quick shout as I harshly jerk my arm away from him and jolt towards my door. I accidentally smack into the door before I open it and enter my room and shut the door behind me.

I fall to the floor crawling up into a ball as I feel the my space and air taken away.

**Chris' POV**

"Can you believe Dad? Letting that monster stay here? With us? I mean I understand his point with her being alone and all if we don't do something, but shouldn't he be more worried for our safety? The girl nearly killed all of us?!" I throw a punch at Damian's face, but he grabs my fist and tries to kick my side. I pull my hand away from my brother's grasp as I do a backflip before his foot can make contact with my side.

"I wouldn't exactly call her a _monster_...she's just more insane than we expected her to be. And Father doesn't care about _your _safety, he only cares about his and mine. Besides, didn't you say before that she _could've_ killed us, and yet she _didn't?_" Damian runs toward me.

I'm not sure what his next move is. Usually when he's running toward someone, he has his sword out, but we decided to just do hand-to-hand combat.

"You're only saying that because you've known her longer. And stop being such a spoiled brat." He tries to do a backflip while simultaneously kicking me in the face, but I lean back, grab his leg, and slam it to the ground. He falls onto the mat, and I walk and stand right next to his head.

"But really...you're being harsh with this girl. When we were at the docks you called her _evil. _I wouldn't classify her as that." He starts to get up, but I place a foot on his chest and push him down. I know that he'll eventually push my foot off and cause me to stumble and fall over since he's stronger than me. I bend forward and my face moves closer to his.

"Maybe your judgement is clouded since you and Autumn have something goin' on." Damian's eyes widen, then he struggles even harder to get my foot off of him.

"What the hell are you talking about Carter? Maybe your brain is messed up because you're too focused on having another girl in the family! You know you like being the one who is fussed over, being the only female in this household." He finally pushes my foot off, and I fall backwards. Ignoring his last comment, I place my hands on the mat, placing my body in the bridge position, then I lift my legs and move to the handstand position then place them back down on the mat. I quickly stand up and get back in my fighting stance.

"I know you kinda like Autumn. When you and Tim were fighting that one time, I thought you only said what you said because you hate Tim, but now I know that it's also because you were kinda jealous! I can't believe it!" I don't really see a future for those two...but Damian has feelings for somebody?

"Shut up Carter. You just don't like Autumn." He says in a menacing tone as he throws a bunch of punches at me. He's getting upset. I dodge every single one of them, then I punch him in the stomach. He grunts.

"Oh really? That time when you came out of the visiting room back at Arkham. You were dazed, and you were fingering your cheek! I had to yell your name three times to bring you back from lala land! At first I thought that Autumn had just mentally scarred you or something, but then I realized that Tim had acted the same way when we found him and Dick in the hospital! That was the only time Autumn could've kissed him. She kissed you, didn't she?"

Damian recovers from the punch and tries to punch me in the face, but I duck. Then, he kicks the side of my face and I fall to the side. He usually doesn't kick that hard when we're sparring. Now I'm kinda dazed.

"She is the enemy! How could I have affection for the enemy? I was taught to have no emotion...no feelings. HOW COULD THAT GIRL CHANGE ME?" He bent down, and now he's yelling in my face. Why is he yelling? His voice is so rough, so harsh.

I can see the hatred in his eyes...but hatred? Why hatred? He doesn't hate me, and he doesn't hate Autumn...or does he? I look into his eyes even more, and I know that there's more than just anger...the closest thing I can come up with is hatred, but it doesn't seem right.

I remember something Batman taught me when I was still training.

_Don't let your anger guide your actions. Learn to control that anger. _

That's what Damian's doing right now...not the control your anger part, the letting your anger control you part. Batman didn't just teach me that about anger...he meant that for all of my emotions. If you let your emotions take over, the results could be disastrous.

Time slows down in my head.

Well, here comes disaster.

He's gonna beat me while I'm down.

Take advantage of my vulnerability.

Maybe even kick me in the face and knock me unconscious.

At first it was just a sibling conversation, well for our family at least. Then it became _really _serious.

Why did I even try to make him angry? I knew I was firing up his emotions with every word that spilled out of my mouth. But why'd I do it? I'm the one who started it...

Is there something I need to know?

Something I need him to admit?

Maybe it's the fact that Autumn has changed this family.

Her menacing words sometimes float around in my head. I wasn't myself after we had our encounter. Because of her Dick injured me. Tim's vulnerable to her. Damian's getting out of control, and maybe he'll also become vulnerable to her.

And Bruce...she _stabbed_ him. That _girl _stabbed my _father._ One of the only people who has really cared for me. Sure he doesn't really show it, but I know he cares. And now, this girl has somehow tricked my father into letting her stay here, where she can maim our family even more than she already has. And Jason? Well, who knows what she's done to Jason.

I need all of them to admit it. I need them to say it to my face.

_Autumn has tainted this family. She is _evil.

I have to do something about her. What exactly? I don't know. But I have to do _something._

I need to hear Dad say it most of all. _Autumn has ruined us._

Time speeds up again, and Damian's foot comes closer and closer to my face.

My thoughts kinda jumbled up my brain, so I don't react until the foot is just centimeters from my face. I roll to the side and stand up. After my brain starts working correctly again, I get in my fighting stance.

"Damian." I furrow my eyebrows, but I send him a warning through my eyes. But I know he's too stubborn to receive it.

Should I fight him? Or should I recede?

He kicks my face and sends me flying backwards. I do a slow backflip in the air and land in a sort of crouching position, my fingertips gently touching the ground. He charges at me.

Fight him it is. But that doesn't mean I should let him continue his rampage.

"Damian. You're getting slightly out of hand. You need to calm down." As soon as I say that, I regret it. When someone says you need to calm down to someone like Damian, they just get hyped up even more.

It's like there's pure fire in his eyes...pure anger.

Surprisingly, he looks like he's calmer. He stopped running and now he's just standing in front of me. Yet, he's using his silent, scary "Batman" voice.

"You started this. You knew this would happen...you know, more than anyone, how pissed off I can get."

"Well you learned how to bottle up your feelings, and you're suddenly letting it all out! What if Batman was testing you?" There we go. The anger in his eyes dissolve and all that is left is my little brother's blue eyes staring back at me. He puts his hands down and disregards his fighting stance.

"Then I would've failed...and Father would be disappointed." His eyes move downward, but then he shoots them back up at me. I hear him mutter "no emotion" under his breath.

"Father wouldn't be disappointed, he'd just want you to do better next time. I only said that because I knew you don't like failing." Did I just call Bruce "Father?"

"And it's ok to show emotion. Just don't let them all flow out. I like the Damian that opened up to his family more than the one who shut us all out." I love my little brother, even though he can really annoying.

I can see a smile tugging at his lips. He's trying to conceal it, but it's not working. He starting to kinda look like a cute little puppydog. Dammit now I'm having LBS.

My Brain Dictionary

LBS (Little Brother Syndrome): no matter how annoying or how stupid your little brother can be, there will always be those points in time where they seem so adorable that you just wanna run to them, hug them tight, and maybe even act like a grandma and squeeze his cheeks. Can also apply to little sisters.

Ok...calm down...resist the LBS...ok I'm weird.

Ha, like I didn't already know that.

"Are we done training?" I ask.

"Yea, we're done. Wanna go grab a snack?" He grabs a towel and places it around his neck. I pick up my water bottle and squirt some water into my mouth.

"Sure, but I don't wanna eat too much. I think Alfred's gonna make cookies."

"Yes! Pennyworth's cookies are the best!"

I smile at him. When we're halfway up the steps, I look over at my brother.

"You know I love you, right little bro?" I don't know what came over me to suddenly say that.

"Carter, you are sounding an awful lot like Grayson. You and I both know that when we start talking like Grayson, something is seriously wrong with us."

"Damian, you don't have to hear me talk like Dick to know that there's something wrong with me." We both start laughing, me more than him.

****Break****

**Autumn's POV**

I hold my head and sob as the world starts to close in. As darkness consumes me and as the world starts to shake.

Blood starts to drip down my fingers, and darkness swallows me up. I hug my knees closer to my body as the walls close in and take up all my space, all my space to move and breathe.

I want to scream for help. But who would come to help me? I always face my fears, my problems all alone.

The banging on my door becomes distant when the world turns sideways and my head hits the ground.

I sob and cry, but that's all I can do.

My lips tremble and I shudder, I can feel my heartbeat booming in my chest, I hold on to my knees as I lay here, tasting the salty tears.

I'm traumatized. I can't take this.

"Autumn!"

I swallow. "I...I'm fine…" I lie.

"Autumn, you're lying."

"I SAID I'M FINE!" I yell through the door, still lying here. My sobbing dies and I keep silent but I don't get up.

"Are you sure cause-" Grayson says on the other side.

"Yeah, I said I'm fine. It's nothing."

"But-"

"Don't you have anything better to do? I said I'm fine!" I yell vigorously.

Silence. A sigh. "Okay, but you know where to find me in case-"

"Since when did you ever care about me, Grayson?" I bark.

More silence, then more light footsteps.

I just sit here, staring at the light flowing in through the windows.

I shut my eyes and I shake, my breathing trembles.

I wait until my breathing slows down, until I start calming down. I relax my shoulders and open my eyes.

I sigh and let go of my knees and I start to unlock myself and I get up. I stumble towards the bed.

I sit down, and stare at the floor as I hold onto the edge of the bed.

I shoot my head up. I can't let a little trauma stop me. I won't ever let anything stop me.

I get up and walk towards the desk and grab a piece of paper and pencil. I'll leave the room to get my things later, when the heat dies down a bit.

****Break****

I quietly walk down the stairs. I take my duffle bag and bring it upstairs, passing by the kitchen. I quietly walk on my toes. Alfred is washing the dishes, his back turned to me.

"Care to elaborate your little lash out earlier this morning?" Alfred asks as I'm only halfway passed the doorway. I mumble a curse word in Greek.

"Miss Autumn, language, please." he scolds and I slap my mouth. How did he understand what I just said?

"Sorry." I say.

I breath in and relax my shoulder and set my foot down. "How did you know I was here? Are you some kind of meta or something?" I ask.

He doesn't answer. I sigh. "Alright. Let me just change into a better outfit, that I own. Christine probably doesn't like me borrowing her clothes." I walk up the stairs without Alfred's _okay_.

After putting my stuff down and changing into a white shirt that's a bit too big for me, that says "PEZ", and short black shorts and my pair of black slippers. I tie my hair, and let a few strands of hair down my cheeks.

"I look like an anime.'" I say looking at myself in the mirror. My hair is a bit spiky at the beginning of where my hair is tied. Long thin strands of my bangs fall down both sides of my face. The cut of my bangs are in the middle. My hair is a bit bouncy at the tip. And a bit shiny too. Although, when it's down, it falls all slightly naturally wavy and is a bit below my chest, it's until...that part of a girl's body.

My lips are small pink and dry my nose isn't exactly what I would call pointy it isn't flat either, it's a little round at the tip of my nose.

I'm really damn pale, I haven't gotten darker after twelve years, at all. My eyes are teal greens and my eyelashes are a bit long and dark.

I scowl at my reflection. "Ugh I look so ugly! I look like a freaking ghost!" I look at my height. "Hey, I've grown a bit! Yes!" My mom said that I'm slim but not that skinny...if I ate just a bit more of malnutrition. But I honestly think that she was lying just to make me feel a bit better.

I'm skinny and light and ugly and stupid and...and...I can't think of anymore insults to myself, I'll just think of them later. Meh. But the point is that I suck.

Well, at least that's what my dad and what Papa said. Dad told me that I'm too imperfect and that I needed to improve on everything. Papa told me that I was a stupid bastard. I believe them both.

Phoenix can be a bit arrogant, but Autumn...I don't think so.

I sigh and walk out of my room and down the stairs.

I walk into the kitchen, where Alfred is still washing the dishes. "Can I help?" I ask. He suddenly stops washing the dishes. He stares at the sink for a while as I look at him. He smiles a bit. "Of course. I wash and you dry." He says giving me a towel.

"Yes!" I celebrate, taking the towel and a wet plate.

"Would you like to tell me what happened this morning?" I close my mouth and look at the ground as I get a mug dry. "You haven't gone out of your room until lunch." He reminds me.

I didn't eat lunch with the Wayne family, I didn't want another outburst.

I planned to eat my lunch alone in the dining room. But it was a good thing that Alfred joined me. We talked a bit, about how things were in this house, about that huge painting of a man and a woman. It turns out that they were Mister Wayne's parents, Talia had told me about them, but I never knew how they looked like.

Alfred and I talked about a few classical books, like Oliver Twist, and The Grapes of Wrath. He suggested that I check out the library, it's full of books, and this time, I said okay.

"Um…"

"But if you don't want to talk about it, I understand." He says warmly, not looking at me.

I smile and continue getting the dishes dry with the towel. I keep my hands away from my mouth so that I can talk without spitting saliva on the dishes.

"It was because...well, I don't know if Mister Wayne told you this...but...I was buried alive…" I look down but continue getting the dishes dry.

"I am aware of that."

"Well...I guess I'm not over it...I still get nightmares." He stops and looks at me.

"Miss Autumn. You don't expect to get over this after a short amount of time, do you?"

I shrug and look down. "I guess not…"

He gets his hands dry, then he turns off the faucet and turns to me. He puts his hand on my shoulder. "Whatever the problem is, you can always talk to me. Or to Master Bruce." I sigh, looking down.

"But...they hate me…" I say. I wouldn't be surprise if Alfred hated me too, he probably just felt sorry or something.

He squeezes my shoulder. "It could take some time, but they will warm up to you. You will see."

"After everything I've done to them?" I look up at him. He smiles.

"The past is in the past. Live in the present. Everyone deserves a second chance."

"Even me?"

"Of course. Why do you think Master Bruce agreed to take you in?"

"Because of Jason?"

He shakes his head. "Because he cares."

I smile slyly and he lets go of my shoulder.I take the last dish and get it dry.

He wipes the counter and I neatly fold the towel and set it down where it should be.

"You won't tell anyone what I just told you, right?" I ask.

He smiles. "Of course not."

"Cross your heart?"

He draws an X over his chest and he nods. "Cross my heart." I smile.

It's only been two days, but I already trust him. "Now, would you like to help me bake some cookies for everyone?" My face brightens and I nod.

"Do you know how?"

I smirk. "Of course I do!"

"You wouldn't blow up the oven?"

"I would never!"

"How can I be so sure?" He smiles.

"My mom taught me how to. That should be good enough proof." I smile.

He chuckles lightly as I grin like a kid. "Good. Then let's get started." He starts walking towards the cabinets and I follow.

"Why? Did Jason ever blow up the oven?"

"No, Master Jason did a fine job in cooking."

I nod in agreement. "True."

"It is everyone else in this house that I'm worried about." He says, reaching for the materials. I let out a small giggle.

****Break****

I was able to get a few cookies once they were done, Alfred's cookies are the best. But I went straight to my room after that. I didn't want to encounter any of the family members from the Bat Clan anymore.

I don't bother to empty out my duffle bag, I won't be able to stay here long enough anyways. But I take my ipod and earphones and I start listening to music. Loud, rock music.

I have classical and calming music too on my playlist.

There are different artists on my ipod, like Owl City, Beyonce, Good Charlotte, Matchbox Twenty, Colbie Caillat, and Jason Mraz. A lot more artists.

I also have a lot of sad songs. Cause according to fun online personality quizzes that I took because I was extremely bored one day, I'm emo and depressed...could be true...

But my favorite genre is rock. Even if I am an acoustic guitar player.

I want posters of Three Days Grace, Linkin Park, Breaking Benjamin, Evanescence, and freaking Good Charlotte. Any rock band. All over the walls. I would cry if I was surrounded by those posters, but unfortunately, this isn't my permanent room.

I won't last long here, even if Alfred says that I'm wrong.

The Wayne family hates my guts. It won't be long until they just can't take me anymore and kick me out soon.

I stand up and stare at myself in the mirror. "I really wanna leave now." I say out loud. "I'm not wanted here, obviously. The only people that actually care and don't hate me are Jason and Alfred! I can't think of any reason why I should stay here! Other than sticking with my big brother. But why would I stay somewhere I don't belong?!"

I stare at myself in the mirror for a while, then I lay down on the bed, staring at the ceiling like I usually do when I'm confused or pissed or just plain annoyed.

"Maybe I should just run and run and run and just keep on running...away from here...away from everything. But where will I go to? Jason is right here! I promised that I won't leave! I promised my mom, that I wouldn't leave her, and I kept that promise...until the day she killed herself...I don't plan on breaking the promise I made with my brother." I let out a frustrated yell, not loud enough for anyone outside the room to hear.

"Why the hell should I stay somewhere where I'm not wanted? But what about my big brother? I know that his family will take care of him, but if I leave...what will happen? I know how it's like to leave, then find out that your loved one is dead. I don't want that to happen again. My dad died and I didn't get to spend enough time with him because he left me to train. I regretted not being able to spend enough time with my dad, then maybe I wouldn't hate him so much. I didn't know what I had until I lost it. I don't want history to repeat itself."

I rub my face and let out an exasperated sigh. "If I leave, where will I go to? If I run back to that old house, they'll find me there. Who will I stay with?"

"They don't want me, I know that. I don't want them either. I can't stay here any longer, and soon they'll kick me out. Might as well run away before getting kicked out. But where in this entire damn world will I go to? I'm just a kid! And what will happen to my brother once I leave? There are way too many possible consequences. Bad ones...I can't just leave my brother, I promised, even though he broke his promise the minute he made it."

I hold my necklace and rub my thumb on the silver.

"I know they don't want me to stay here! If I were them, I wouldn't want me either! I'd send myself straight to Arkham! I mean, after all I've done to them?!"

"I'm a monster! Phoenix always takes control and I can't stop her. Even if I wanted to. So I stopped trying to stop her. I'm evil, as Carter says."

I let a tear fall. "I wanna go home"...but...where is home? It's definitely not here. Not at that old house where my dad's ghost is haunting me. Where? I need to find my home! I need to get to it. But where is my home?!

"I wanna go home!" Home is where my family is, it's where I'm comfortable to be myself and not act like this stiff hard robot everytime I leave this room!

Home is where the people in it want you to actually be there. This isn't home...no one wants me here...they all hate me...and worst of all...they're the enemy!

"I can't stay here...they don't want me here! I don't wanna stay here either! But what about my brother? The person that might actually care?! Will I just leave him like my dad, my mom, and my brother did?"

_He's got his family anyways_. Another voice in my head says.

_This may be his home, but it's not yours...so why should you stay here? _It echoes.

"What about the promise? What if I leave, and he leaves too? What if I leave, and you're wrong?

Phoenix's voice stays silent.

"See!" I wave my hands in the air.

"Maybe it'd be better if I just died! I'll grab a knife and put it through my heart! That way if anyone finds my body, they won't be able to save me! Or maybe I'll trap myself in a warehouse with a bomb so that my body will be way too damaged to be repaired by the Lazarus PIt alone!"

Maybe if I died, things would be better. This family won't be so broken since the one who almost destroyed it would die and maybe Jason will be okay without me. No one else would care if I died anyways, who would? I wouldn't.

I'm a too horrible person to be cared for…

No one wants me, I don't even want me!

If I died, it would either be better or maybe it wouldn't really make a difference. They'll just bury my body and on my grave will be _Autumn Cross._ That's all that will say there, my name. I'm not a good friend, I'm not a good sister, I'm not a hero.

They'll just bury my dead body and walk away without wondering if I died a horrible death. Or why I committed suicide. Or saying that I was a good person. They'll just walk away without a single tear shed. And they'll say. "Autumn Cross. Humph. Thank God, she's finally dead."

Or maybe they'll say coldly. "It was meant to be." Yeah.

I chuckle at the thought of committing suicide. "Hehe." Yeah…

I look out the window, the day is good, the sun is shining, the trees are dancing with the strong breeze. It could be a perfect day. "And then it rains." I chuckle to myself. If it rains, that would just ruin the day. Good.

Well...I'm bored now… "Hey, Autumn, what do you wanna do?" I turn my head to the side, facing the window. I imagine a figure of myself standing in front of the window, shrugging. I turn my head back to the ceiling. "Yeah, thought so."

**A/N: Yup, end of chapter. Any questions? Comments? Violent reactions? No, yes? Well, if you do, just tell us through the reviews or PM us or whatever. REMEMBER, CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM IS ENCOURAGED, BUT NO FLAMING PLEASE.**


	24. Yay School

**Chapter 24: Yay School... **

**Chris' POV**

The most dreaded day for kids all over the states (except for nerds who have no life).

Waking up early, sitting through boring lectures, being forced to learn...

Seeing all of your friends again, making memories...

The first day of school.

My alarm goes off, and I slowly open my eyes. 6:15. No more sleeping in for me.

I just lie in my queen-sized bed and try my best to lose myself in the sound of the loud, annoying beeps of my alarm clock.

I can't wait to see all of my friends again, especially Tim. I also can't believe I'm in 8th grade. Before I know it, I'll be graduating and going onto high school.

I close my eyes, hoping to fall back asleep, but it doesn't work. I don't get up until I hear a knock on my door.

"Miss Christine. Get out of bed and get ready for school. Breakfast will be ready at 6:45."

I groan. I can't push myself up. I'm just. Too. Tired. Or as Alfred would say, lazy.

I look over the edge of my bed and stare at the floor. My brain is literally blank.

For some reason, I decide to roll right off the bed and hit the floor harder than I expected. A fairly loud thud rings through the room, and maybe it went out to the hallway.

Dammit. I forgot to turn off the alarm clock.

As I'm using the side of my bed to help me get up, I hear heavy footsteps get louder and louder. Suddenly, my door swings open. In the corner of my eye, I can see Bruce in his t-shirt and shorts, his hair slightly ruffled, looking panic-stricken.

"Chris what happened?!"

I didn't think he would've heard it all the way from his room...but he's Batman. I should've known he would've at least heard something. I'm brain dead at the moment.

"I just rolled off the bed." I say groggily. I pull myself all the way up and slam my hand on the alarm clock. Finally, that absurd beeping has stopped.

"Be careful next time." Funny. He thinks I rolled off the bed on accident. "Hurry up and get ready. You don't wanna be late for school." He closes the door as he leaves to go get ready for work.

If only mansions didn't have to be so far away from society, then I might get to wake up later. It takes around five minutes to cross the bridge to Gotham, and then another 25 minutes to actually get to Gotham Academy.

I stretch my back and I hear a small crack. Ah that felt good.

I walk over to the bathroom and do my business. Then I wash my hands, gargle some water, and splash water on my face. I turn off the faucet and look at my appearance. There are bags under my blue eyes and...that's really the only detail I can describe. My face doesn't get pale...how am I supposed to describe a face, especially mine? It's not like I'm an artist and I pay super close attention to stuff and use very fancy adjectives.

Let's see...my skin isn't too pale but isn't too tan. My eyes are blue...a nice shade of medium blue... My nose isn't long, but it isn't flat. It's just...a nose. I don't really know the face shapes, but my face isn't chubby or anything noticeable. My lips are small, not huge like Bratz lips. I've been told that when I have a blank face expression, my lower lip tends to stick out a little more than my upper lip, so I either look sad or slightly angry. I don't know how to feel about that...actually I don't really care. And I _don't _have a butt chin.

_Bravo Christine. You're really great at this._

I'm not gonna waste time looking for every single detail on my face.

But what stands out the most to me when I look in the mirror is how my medium length, super dark brown (so dark that it looks black), straight hair looks shiny and not horrible. The ends of my hair go slightly outward, but it looks okay. My partition is on the left side of my face, and the hair on the right side of my face is tucked behind my ear.

Yeah, I'm ugly.

I walk out the door and start changing into my uniform that I left on my chair last night. As I put on my navy blue skirt, white polo, red tie, socks, and navy blue v-neck sweater, I recall a video that I watched last year in class. It was this experiment: there were a bunch of people, and they all had to go into this room with a curtain dividing it into two areas.

One at a time, they would sit in one area and on the other side of the curtain was an artist. He asked each person to describe their facial features and their hair. As the person was describing themself, the artist would be drawing a sketch based on the description. Then, he would ask the person to describe the person they met just earlier (one of the other participants). The artist would draw another sketch. They did that for every single participant. In the end, the put up the pictures in groups of two. The person would find their two pictures and see the difference between the picture made with their description, and the picture made with another person's description. The one created based on the other person's views would always look better than the one created by the person's views. It was supposed to teach us that everyone sees you differently from how you see yourself. So if you think you're ugly, someone else might think you're pretty.

Well no one, other than my family, has complimented me on my looks. I wish someone would... I push the thought aside.

After brushing my hair a bit, I walk out of my room and find myself standing in front of Autumn.

**Autumn's POV**

I woke up before five. Even if I didn't get a good night sleep. Nightmares...again…

But I slept on the floor, I couldn't sleep on the bed, so I took a blanket and my fluffy jacket and slept on the floor using my jacket as my pillow, cause I didn't wanna get the pillows all dirty. The blanket I took is mine anyways, so I doubt Alfred would care.

I didn't wake up because I was excited for school, I hate it even if I have never experienced it. I stayed up until six because I wanted to avoid the nightmares.

I just sat at the corner of my room, staring at nothing, as the sun came up, until I heard a knock on my door. Alfred asked me to wake up, but I told him that I was already up, so yeah.

I took a shower, washed my disgusting pale face and dressed up. I put on that stupid uniform that makes me look like a perp.

Well, actually, I'm not a perp. Mister Wayne told me that he was gonna be the one to send me to school, but I told him that I was gonna take a scholarship instead. Obviously, I passed the scholarship. I really don't want to depend on Bruce Wayne's money to send me off to school.

So I fixed my hair, sort off. I just brushed it and put my hair on top of my shoulders. I put a hair tie on my wrist and a black and violet watch on my left wrist, my necklace, and then my blue blazer.

Well, I was wrong, I lasted at least a weak. He hasn't kicked me out...yet. But Mister Wayne hardly seems to pay attention to me now. But the rest (Except Jason and Alfred), they hate me.

Like right now, I stare into Christine's eyes, full of never ending hatred as she stares me down.

"Umm hi..." Why is she trying to talk to me. I know she hates me.

"Hi." Why am I continuing the conversation? Why didn't I just walk away?

She looks me from head to toe. "You look weird in a uniform. You should just go to a public school." There's no harshness in her voice, but her tone echoes with disgust.

"Why do you care?" I know why: she doesn't want to see me everyday. I just needed something to say so I could get away.

I side step and move away from her. I walk down the stairs, shouldering my black and violet backpack.

I look at my phone as I walk down the stairs, holding onto the railings. I smile at my wallpaper, that's my motivation to go to school.

I slip my phone in my pocket and continue to walk down the stairs and into the kitchen.

Breakfast...and silence, good combination.

I eat the cereal without a word. Then once I finish the last spoon, I stand up and walk towards the door.

Jason left for his college, I don't know what Grayson does, so that leaves Bruce to drive me, Drake, Chris, and Dami off to Gotham Academy.

Drake and Chris are talking about something as we all walk out of the door and to the Mercedes.

I stare out the window, my bag on top of my lap. I lean on the door, as far away as possible from the others as they talk. I don't know what they're talking about, cause my mind has blocked everything out. To my ears, they're talking in gibberish.

I mumble to the window in different languages.

**Translated from Latin: **"_Dang. I wonder how school will be like? Meh, I think I've heard and read a lot about school to know how it's like. Huh, grade 7..fun._

**Translated from Lao: **"_They say the hardest part about going to school is the labels...I've heard about that. The stereotypes and all that crap."_

**Translated from Cebuano: **"_Whatever, I bet I'm gonna fail and drop out of Gotham Academy before the first month ends...no matter how much I've studied with Talia...I'm so gonna fail. Why? Because I'm a failure, that's why. Well, that's what dad said."_

**Translated from Bosnian: **"_Hehe, yeah, good old dad...I hated him! That butt! Yes, I use the word 'butt' now, it's a fun word to use...you got a problem with that?"_

Suddenly, I feel pairs of different shades of blue eyes all on me. I don't look at them, I just stare out the window and keep my mouth shut.

The car stops.

"Good luck." Bruce kisses Christine's, Tim's, and Damian's foreheads, even though Damian is obviously against it. Drake opens the door and moves out of the car, followed by Dami. Carter gets out of the passenger seat.

I quickly move out of the car but Bruce manages to say. "Good luck to you too." He says almost coldly.

I hold the door and stare at him. "I don't believe in luck." I say even colder.

"It's an expression." He returns.

"Hmph, I still don't believe in it." I say and shut the door.

I turn around and start walking to the doors of the huge school. Lots of students walk in through the doors in groups or pairs. I can see Christine and her brothers running towards the door, desperate to get away from the car.

I just simply walk. I need to strategize my plan.

I look down at my shoes, keep my shoulders up, and a small frown on my face and I walk through the huge doors.

There are lots and lots of students, all in uniform. The place is loud and noisy, there's hardly enough room for me to move. They're all just talking, walking into classrooms.

I sigh as I hold the one strap of my backpack. I leave my bag hanging on one shoulder and I hold the one strap as I stare. I hold my necklace.

"I'm so dead." I look up. "Ma, if you're seeing this right now. Please help me. Help me to survive this wretched place they call school."

I start walking towards the grade 7 classroom, my classroom apparently.

I stand in the doorway and take a look around. The classroom is full of students, both girls and boys.

I can immediately see their some of their labels just by observing them, how they, sit, talk, smile, laugh, walk.

I see a group of quiet individuals, reading their school books by the teacher's table...the nerds, obviously, the ones with glasses and braces and frizzy or curly hair.

By the edge of the room are the bullies or also known as the jerks, can be either girls or boys, the tough looking but not necessarily big and strong looking students. There are bullies who bully verbally and some physically. I can't really pinpoint all of the bullies, but that group over there are obviously the bullies.

Then the geeks. They're huddled up together. They've got eyeglasses and freckles. That's all I can say.

The jocks or the athletes. Huh, they're not really doing much but sitting on the tables and talking.

I know I'm being kind of stereotypical with the way I'm describing how they look, but seriously, that's what they look like. As I look around again, I notice some people who are hanging with certain groups but don't really fit the stereotypes...good for them.

"Get out of the way!" I turn around and find a girl with quite high heels on her black shoes, and a handbag from Marks and Spencers. She has shiny lips, obviously, she used some lipgloss, and she has a bit of blush on. Her nails are painted red and the tips are white. Her hair is blond, long and straight. Her skirt is obviously shorter than the dress code allows it to be and she has clean neat high socks.

She has a stupid scowl on her face. She has her hand on her hip as she gives me that certain stare from head to toe. That's what they call a b**** stare.

"I said get out of my way! Oh my gosh!" She says with an obviously fake British accent. I just blankly stare at her, holding my bag.

"Who are you, anyways, to get in my way?!" Her voice sounds annoyingly 'mean' and Britishly fake. I've spent enough time with Alfred to know that her accent is F-A-K-E.

"You're the new student, aren't you?"

She leans in and points at me. "Well, since you're new here, I'll let it pass, for now. When I tell you to get out of my way, get out of my way! Or I'll tell the principal!"

Lastly, those annoying 'dogs' who are the 'teacher's pet' during class but when out of class, is not surprisingly a spoiled rich popular mean girl. They're a different type of bully. The ones who usually bully verbally or online.

She pushes me out of the way and walks in through the door with her head held high. She walks to this other group of people that she obviously belongs to.

I sigh and shake my head. Some of these popular girls are nice, smart and pretty, some are fake, some are cheerleaders, and most are just plain conceited.

But hey, who am I to stereotype these people, right? I mean, sure at school, they're this and that, but outside of school, you'd never really know who they actually are and what they're going through. So I shouldn't stereotype these people anymore.

But one thing's for sure, all the kids in Gotham Academy are rich snobs, nice or not nice, they're all rich snobs, some are scholars who actually worked hard to get in, but there are only very few that get in cause they're...poor, or plainly just not rich enough.

But all these people are rich goddamned snobs, and I hate snobs…

These people always ask for what they want and then waste it. Have they ever wondered if one day, they'll just lose everything in a blink of an eye? These people aren't thankful for what they have, they're lucky they have something. They have a very expensive school, clothes, parents that pay for everything, yet they complain. What about the other people out there? THe people that have no one for them to look after, the people that hardly have anything to eat, the people that are forced to steal every so often.

When these rich snobs go shopping for the things they want, have they ever wondered how it was like to not even be able or rich enough to even enter a mall?

When they don't finish their dinner, have they ever asked the question, 'when will be my next meal'?

I sigh and walk in through the doorway, the classroom gets noisier. There's a huge long line of windows at one side of the classroom with the view of trees and the front of the building, there's a long whiteboard with an unlimited supply of dry erase markers, two aircons, and a teacher's desk. There are tables everywhere. Most of them are taken though.

I start walking towards the table nearest to the window, passing by a guy that's about to walk out the door. We nearly collide.

As I start walking I feel a tap on my shoulder and I turn around. Facing a boy with light brown shaggy hair, luscious red lips and gray eyes. I can see the blood rising up on his cheeks as he stares at me, with his hand up, as if he just touched something soft.

"I...I like your hair." He staggers and I raise an eyebrow.

"Good to know." I say sarcastically and turn around. I quickly walk towards the table that I was heading towards earlier.

I put my bag down and take a seat. I'm about to just stare out the window when the same guy walks to me, his face no longer red, but tan-ish.

"Hey…" He tries to act cool. Ah, here's what they call the 'cool hot kid.'

Ugh! Autumn stop stereotyping! What right do you have to judge and label other people just by the way they act or look?!

I mentally punch my face. But in reality, I keep a bored emotionless face.

"You're probably new here, so let me introduce myself." He puts his hands on my desk and stares into my eyes. "I'm Luke."

Ahh, Luke...such a cute name...it reminds me of that book...and my fandom...too bad the character named Luke had to die to save the world before he turned evil.

"Luke Snyder. And yours is?" He says smiling with his teeth showing.

I keep on my boring face…

"None of your damn business." His smile disappears as if he's expecting for his smile to suddenly blind me or hypnotize me.

"Oh, so you're playing hard to get huh? I'm cool with that." His smile turns into a smirk.

I nearly choke on bile. Is he flirting with me!?

"I'm twelve."

"I'm thriteen, it's perfect!" He says.

"No, it means, that you disgust me."

He smirks. "So that means…" he's trying to decode the 'code' in my words. But there is no code.

"It means what it means. You. Disgust. Me. You're way too young to get a girlfriend."

"Too young? I've had like three!"

"Gross." I nod my head.

"Come on! Just go on one date with me. I'll guarantee you'll enjoy it." He wiggles his eyebrows and I hold down the bile in my throat.

I shake my head. "No way. Over my dead body. Besides, I just met you."

"Seriously! What do I have to do to get you to like me?!" He asks, touching my hand.

I pull my hand away and stand up, my chair making that squeaking sound. I walk towards him. He's a bit taller than me. But I know my eyes and face are intimidating.

"You want me to like you?" I gesture to me then to him. "Then stay away from me." I point to him, as he walks backwards.

"Don't talk to me, don't go near me, don't ever touch me or my hair, don't look at me, and don't even think about talking to me ever again." His back hits a table and I stand in front of him, glaring at him.

"Then. Maybe...just maybe, I could possibly, to a very small degree, I could like you. Somehow." I smile and cock my head.

I turn around, my hair swaying and I walk towards the table and sit down. I put my elbow on the table and my face on my hand and stare out the window.

I hear a low whistle. I can hear him whisper to his friend. "Is it weird that I think that that was hot?" He asks.

I grunt and roll my eyes. First day and a gross guy starts to flirt with me. Yuck. I don't even understand what he sees in me. I mean, who would like a girl like me?

I stare at the people walking and the cars driving by, the other tall buildings standing.

**Translated from Roman: **"_Poor fools, they're not aware that someday they'll die all because The Batman was too afraid to finally end the war between good and evil, to serve the justice Gotham needs, and to control crime once and for all. What kind of a vigilante claims that he's cleaning up Gotham, when he's still hasn't burned the trash that litters these streets?"_

I mumble, looking at the mothers, the fathers and the children down there.

**Damian's POV**

Why did Cross have to be in the same grade as me? Why couldn't she be in Carter's class...

I'm sitting towards the back of the classroom next to my only friend. He's actually an imbecile, but somehow we became "friends."

He's talking about something but I'm not listening. Instead, I'm staring at Snyder who just tried to make a move on Cross. That boy is disgusting. I wish Cross would beat him to a pulp instead of threaten him.

The class quieted down a bit when Cross stood. Now that the scene has ended, everyone is talking amongst themselves until our teacher gets here.

Damn I hate school.

I tune into my friend again. "...and then I threw a grenade and killed the zombies inside! Who's that?" He says, gesturing to Cross.

She's just staring out the window, mumbling to herself.

"The new kid?"

"Yea."

"Don't know. Don't care."

"She's kinda pretty, setting aside her mean face."

"I guess." I'm starting to tune out again. I don't need another imbecile liking Cross.

"She's not as pretty as your sister, but she's pretty."

I look over at him and glare at him. I don't need people talking about Carter either.

He gets the memo.

"We should go talk to her."

"Why the hell should we do that, Daly?" I don't need this right now. Can't people just leave me alone?

"Fine, nevermind. And how many times do I have to tell you? Just call me Scott."

I just keep staring at him.

This is going to be the worst day of my life.

**Chris' POV**

I have my blue and grey backpack over my right shoulder. I never really bother putting both straps over my shoulders.

8th grade...this'll be interesting.

I keep walking down the hallway that's filled with frantic kids until I reach my classroom. I haven't seen any of my friends yet.

School...the only thing I like about it is the memories you make with your friends. Everything else sucks.

I look around me and see only familiar faces. No new kids. For a private school that costs a lot of money, there's a lot of kids in my class. Even though my class is divided into "cliques," I guess you could say, they aren't really traditional cliques. Actually, I think groups is a better word. In one cluster of desks, some nerds are sitting together. Some fit the stereotype, but others look like average people. I'm a nerd, but I'm not a full-on one.

Next to the windows are the populars. The jocks and the girly girls are always together, so I just call them the populars. Most of the girls in that group are snobbish and mean, but once in a while I find out that one of them is nicer than they seem. Myla is a "popular," but she's one of my friends. She doesn't hang out with my group, but she's not mean to me, like Karina is.

Actually, those are the only traditional groups that I see around my class. Everyone else is mixed between groups. In one group of friends, there's a nerd, a geek, two populars, and someone who doesn't exactly have a category.

How I see it, there's only two kinds of people in my class: the populars, the ones who stick to their group and _only _their group, and everyone else.

I scan the room and find my group of friends laughing as usual. No one in our group is classified in only one clique. We actually don't like to use the clique terms. We use good 'ol adjectives.

Laurel Fray is smart, loves reading, wears glasses...she's starting to sound like a nerd but she really isn't, but she is smart. She's a tomboy and doesn't care for shopping and gossip and whatever girly girls do. She can be funny and acting silly, but she's usually serious. I really don't mind. She's mostly silly around us anyway.

Tim Hayden is athletic. It's almost like he can play every single sport. He prefers basketball and football (in middle school we have flag football), but he also plays volleyball. He doesn't do it often, but I've seen him play tennis before, and I'm pretty sure he's done other sports. He does Kumon even though he's smart. I'd say he's the main funny person in our group. Also, he and I are very competitive against each other. He's also my crush...

Tyler Reel is athletic as well. He plays basketball, football, and volleyball, but he specializes in soccer. He's very mischievous and is always making inappropriate jokes. He loves to tease everybody, and he and Laurel always find something to tease me about. Also, he's the shortest guy in the group. He's funny, and he and Tim are close friends.

Luke Moore plays basketball, volleyball, and especially football. He's smart, but not as smart as Laurel, Tim, and I (I'm not trying to be mean or anything I'm just stating facts). He's a comic book geek just like his brother. Laurel, Tyler, and Sarah all say that he likes me, and I agree. But I only see him as a friend.

Matt Moore plays the same sports as his twin brother, Luke, but he prefers basketball. They aren't identical twins, so Luke is skinnier than Matt (that's all I'm gonna say about his size). He's inappropriate. Not super inappropriate just funny inappropriate. He's a comic book geek. He's as smart as Luke, although he would argue that he's smarter. He has crushes on Taylor Swift and Elsa (we had a good laugh about that one). Everyone ships him with our friend Sarah, and it annoys them both so much it's hilarious.

Sarah Osten has another group she hangs out with more than us, but I still consider her part of the group. She's the girliest among me, Laurel, and her. This is how I see it: Sarah is more girly, Laurel is more of a tomboy, and I'm right in the middle. She's also a comic book nerd, but not as serious as Matt and Luke. She also likes to sing and sometimes act.

And then there's me. Christine Wayne (everyone leaves out Grayson because it's too long). I'm a nerd just because I'm smart. Very competitive. I only play volleyball. None of my friends know this, but I've been reading some of my brothers' comic books, and I love them. I also try to avoid socializing and socializing events when possible. I can be funny if I want to, but I'm usually the one laughing instead of the one making the joke. I love to sing, just not in public. As I said, I am half tomboy and half girly girl. And I can be very crazy.

I don't know why I just described my closest friends in my head...

These aren't my only friends. I've got some friends in upper and lower grades, along with some others in my class. But yea...

Wow. For a girl who hates socializing and talking to random people, I have a good amount of friends...

I walk over to them and they fill me in on what they were laughing about. Tyler just made an inappropriate joke from something Luke said.

We just start talking about random things until the bell rings and we all take seats. School has officially begun.

**Autumn's POV**

"Good morning class, I will be your adviser." She writes down her name on the board after she puts down her things on the desk. "I am Ms. Karla Weldy." She looks around the class.

"Before we begin, do we have any new students here?" She looks around the classroom. All the students turn to me.

"There!" The girl that I encountered earlier points to me. "She's a newbie! She's the only newbie, Ms. Karla!" She says. Wow, feeling close to the adviser?

Ms. Weldy nods and smiles at the blonde. "Thank you, Mackenzie." She says with a small bright smile on her face.

She looks at me, still with that smile. "Please stand up and introduce yourself."

I stand up and start to shake a bit. All those eyes on me. It's...scary…

"I'm Autumn Cross." I say softly.

Ms. Weldy leans forward. "Excuse me?"

I can hear whispers all around me, as those eyes glare at my back.

"My name is Autumn Cross." I say louder.

The adviser nods and smiles. "Do you have anything to share about yourself?"

I'm about to say 'no' when she asks me another question. "What's your favorite color?"

A short awkward silence, before I answer truthfully…"Black or red."

"Oh, red, that seems like a nice color."

I shake my head. "No, you don't understand, I mean, blood red."

"Oh, I see." She says politely. "Um...what about your parents? Who are your parents? What are their jobs?"

My eyes slightly widen. "Erm…" More whispers. "I choose not to answer that pointless question." I sit back down as everyone stares at me.

"Okay... So anyways…" Her voice starts to become distant. I look to my right. The girl named Mackenzie is glaring right at me with her beady bright blue eyes.

She smiles. "So Autumn. Why didn't you chose to answer that question?" I stay silent and blankly stare at her. "Is it because they're jobs are gross?" She cocks her head and bats her eyelashes.

"Is it because you're embarrassed of them? Or do they hate you? Is that why you don't want to talk to them?" She says soft enough for me and a few people around me to hear.

Her eyes brighten even more as she gasps. "Oh I know! They're dead, aren't they!?" She says smiling. I grind my teeth and clench my fists. "That's why you're a scholar! Cause mommy and daddy aren't there to pay your tuition!" She says brightly.

I can hear sniggering and whispers around me.

I look down and turn around, facing the window again...no longer paying attention to the sniggering or the mumbling of these other people that I shouldn't even care about.

"Pay attention, class!" Ms. Weldy scolds.

I only stare out the window. I really wish to punch her face out...but I can't.

I sigh. I think I hate her...that popular girl...she mentioned my parents...I never met my birth mom, my foster mom...she was the best...but in the end, both my moms died. My dad wasn't my favorite person in the world, and he still isn't even though now he's gone, but he was still...something.

I blink my eyes. Autumn! Let's think about something else!

After school, I'm gonna go buy a skateboard and take off this horrid uniform and put on long sleeves and jeans and a pair of cheap but strong sneakers. Yeah, a skateboard, then I'll go practice playing my guitar, then I'll go read a good book or maybe watch a movie on my laptop, or maybe I'll write a poem or something, maybe I'll sing along with one of my favorite songs!

Or...maybe...I can go and re-read my beautiful collection of my favorite comics! No, wait! I'll just finish season three of Walking Dead! Hehe...so...gory...wait! I also wanna finish season two of Attack On Titan! Or read Homestuck! Or maybe...I can write a short story...or read short and sad stories online…(yeah, I like really depressing stories, I like being sad...it's better than being happy or angry.)

Huh! I know! I can multitask! I can do all these things right after the other or at the same time! While listening to music and staring at pictures of awesome cars and my favorite characters...that are guys...that are really hot...hehe...

Or...maybe...I can just sit on the bed in the dark and stare at the wall...nah! I'm not gonna waste the rest of my afternoon staring at nothing! I'm a busy person! Sort of…

I can still feel those damn eyes on my back but I don't bother to turn around...I'm too lazy to turn around and glare.

What else can I consider doing? Well, not socializing with the Waynes, not going out of the room and showing my face to them, yeah, anything but talking to the Waynes. Maybe I can go for a walk around the park after school.

When school ends it will be like three o' clock...yay, time. Here's my plan…

Go to the manor, change, leave the manor, walk around Gotham, buy a skateboard, use the skateboard in that skate park in Crime Alley that I know about because I'm a curious cat. Then, stay there and practice for like two hours, go back to the manor at like, four, then use my guitar and then watch two episodes of Walking Dead and like three episodes of Attack On Titan.

Eat dinner, then go lock myself up in a room...probably play Ace Attorney on my ipad mini, that I bought months ago with my money.

****Break****

Ahh, lunch...well I don't know what to say about it except that it's really noisy and crowded.

I put my food down on an empty table by the wall and sit down in silence. I stare at the cafeteria. Damn it's crowded, too noisy. If I could just blow this cramped place up, I would and I would laugh as it blows up...but sadly, I can't do that.

I look around the cafeteria. I can see Drake with a few of his friends as they talk, Carter with a whole group of friends laughing and talking loudly, Dami is sitting with his only friend who's blabbering about stuff while Damian just sits there staring at his food.

They all have their own friends...I sit here alone, holding my recycled notebook and my favorite pen.

I'm alone, and I like it that way. I don't plan on making any friends at all, as long as I'm living in Wayne Manor, just until I get kicked out.

I have many layers here at school.

I'll either be a bit rude to flirts, quiet to the noisy mean populars, silent and shy to everyone else.

My head is always down and my shoulders tense, and my mouth stitched together. I make sure to avoid anyone and make sure that they don't touch me at all. I'll be that quiet weird loner who coops up with her notebook and has no friends at all throughout the year. Cause, that shy kid, that's me…that's my original layer with other people that I'm uncomfortable with.

That kid...the shy low-self esteemed kid...that's me...the quiet type, but rude to people that flirt with her...but puts up with the people who are annoying and mean but are not flirting with her.

LIke with the populars, I'll be silent and shy unless the jocks start to flirt with me (although I doubt that would ever happen, in a bajillion years.) I'll be unlikable, and shy, and sometimes rude and mean...because that's who I am.

I'm afraid to even look at others, to talk to them and walk up to them and tap them on the shoulder...no one knows that side of me...but that girl...is one of my strongest layers.

I'm an onion. WIth many layers. I am surrounded by a lot of blankets because I wanna be hidden all the time and I'm afraid for anyone else to open me up and judge my taste, I can be really cold and I can tell you that I don't care about you, I can be really intense and I can make you cry once you take those blankets out, but once you get to know me more, you find out that I do care and that I'm not that cold on the inside.

I open my notebook and take out my pen. I stick a straw in my juice box and drink it as I write a short story. I silently laugh at some of the gory parts and I shudder at the flirting parts that I'm writing. I grin at the sad and depressing parts that include death in this very short story.

I write rapidly. I let go of my pen and then quickly shake my hand, then pick up my pen again as I finish my juice box.

Then someone sits in front of me. I look up, not facing my head up. "H...hi…" he says...is he a nerd or is he a geek?

"Can my friends and I sit here with you?"

I hold my juice box and shake it, finding out that it's empty. I shoot it in the trash can. "We...we just don't have anywhere else to sit." He says and I look behind him. A group of nerds are like, six feet away from him, smiling.

"We...we really don't wanna sit by the dumpster today. We'll sit with you...you won't even notice we're here."

I take the apple on my tray. "Yeah o...okay. I'm...I'm...done anyways." I stand up and take my tray.

I'm about to walk out when he stops me. "Actually, we were hoping, you would sit with us." He says.

I bow my head and brush my hair towards my side as I hold my tray and apple. "Uh, sorry, I...I can't…" I'm being shy again, not rude. He's not flirting anyways, he's just politely asking me if he can sit on this table.

I raise my head a bit and give him a slight smile as I take my notebook. "You guys can sit here though." I tell him and I can see that disappointed look on his face.

"Well, can you at least tell me that you're my friend?"

I look back down. "Um...no...no...I...I don't have any friends...and I also...I also don't want any friends...sorry." I say and I turn around and walk towards the cafeteria doors. Sensing his disappointment.

I raise my head and keep an emotionless face with a more confident posture. It's not like anyone's watching me. I bite my apple as I hold onto my notebook.

By the time I get to the doors by the trash can, my apple's gone. I open the door and shoot the seed of the apple behind me, I know that it hits the trashcan once I hear a rocking thud, so I don't look back. Because I can suddenly feel a bunch of eyes on my back.

**Tim's POV**

I wonder what we'll be doing in Geometry today. In every single class, we were forced to say something we did over the summer as we made sure we had everything we needed for high school. The first part of class usually went something like this:

_Hello everyone. My name is (whatever their name was). Let's do some introductions so I can learn your names. _

_The teacher would point at us one by one asking us what our name is, what our favorite subject is, and something what we did over the summer. I'm reluctant to admit that the entire time I started thinking like Damian. "This is ridiculous. We are not children. Let's break free of this prison and do something fun." _

_But don't get me wrong, I love school._

_Suddenly the teacher would point at me. "Your turn!"_

"_My name is Tim Drake. My favorite subject is..." That's a hard one. I just said the first subject I could think of. "Biology. And over the summer..." What am I supposed to say? I developed a crush on a girl, my brother came home, I have a sister that I hate having around even though she's my crush, I had many near-death experiences, my brother was in Arkham, etc. "I...(insert excuse here)" My summer event was different almost every time someone asked me that question._

"_Thank you Tim." Then he/she would go to the next person. _

Now it's lunchtime. Even though we're highschoolers, we still are in a close vicinity with middle school.

I just looked to my left and saw Autumn leaving a table along with the nerd sitting there. He looks really disappointed. Poor guy.

My friends and I are walking to the nearest empty table when I notice Chris and her friends sitting in a nearby table. She's sitting next to two of her friends: Laurel and Tim. Laurel is engaged in a conversation involving the entire table...well the entire table except Chris and Tim. Chris starts laughing and Tim starts saying something to her, an annoyed look on his face. My face grows hot at the sight of those two.

"Hey, I'll be right back I have to go do something." I place my tray on the table and slowly walk over to Chris' table, careful to make sure she doesn't notice me, or any of her friends notice me. As I come closer to them, I can hear what they're talking about.

"Just admit it! I defeated you fair and square at that game!"

"Why are you laughing?"

"Because I find it funny that you can't accept that a girl beat you at something, especially since I've beaten you at so many things."

"I can accept that a girl beat me. What I can't accept is that _you _are the one who's always beating me."

"Aww Tim, this is your life now. You are destined to do great things, and I am destined to always do things better than you."

"That's not true, I'm better than you at sports." He has a proud look on his face.

"Ok I'll admit to that. But I bet I could beat you at volleyball." A smirk forms.

"Oh really?" He has a look of disbelief on his face.

"Your team versus my team. Girls versus boys." She leans forward.

"You're on." He leans forward, their narrowed eyes and smirks only inches away from each other.

I've had enough. I rush over there and place a hand on Chris' shoulder.

"Chris, Dad called. He's got a problem." I whisper into her ear.

Chris' eyes widen. Then they shrink back to their normal size and she looks at me, a suspicious look in her eyes.

"Wait, did he call you using your phone or the school phone?"

"School phone."

"Why didn't you tell me this earlier?"

"Because I just came back from the school office."

"No you didn't. You were with your group of friends just a minute ago." She turns and points at my table. "See they're waiting for you. You'd better eat or Alfred will spoonfeed you when we get home until you've eaten so much you're gonna explode and send guts and blood and bones flying everywhere. Then Alfred would be forced to clean all that mess up, although he'd probably force all of us to help."

Laurel, who had started listening to the conversation, turns to Chris. "That's harsh."

"Like you haven't said worse." She turns to Laurel. Laurel shrugs, a smirk on her face, then continues eating.

Chris turns back to me. "I hang out with you everyday at home. Can you leave me with my friends for just 7 hours?"

"Alright see you later." Now she gets the whole day with the _other _Tim. The one she calls "Tim, the friend," even though I know she doesn't see him as just _a friend_.

I turn around and I'm about to walk back to my table when a hand grabs onto my arm. I turn my head and Chris has a strong grip on my arm. I can feel my face turning hot. Why is my face turning hot? Stop it face. Stop it...

"Before I forget, how are things going with Tiffany?" She looks serious, but I can tell she's trying not to smile.

"Tiffany? Oh um things weren't really working out."

"Good." Then she pulls me down so that I am at her level. She leans closer to my ear. "Well, what about the new girl?" She whispers.

I can feel myself blushing as I quickly stand up to my full height, which isn't very tall. Chris' smirk is mocking me.

"Have a good rest of the day, Chris. You too Tim." I say quickly and I turn around and walk back to my table.

Why is Chris setting me up with Autumn?

I thought she hated that girl. Maybe she's doing it just to mess with me. At least she's not messing with my head like Autumn. My sister would never do that. What was so embarrassing was the fact that she knew I was jealous of her relationship with Tim H. Well, not relationship, more like _closeness_. Chris and I talk occasionally, but they aren't really full conversations like she has with Dick and Damian. I wish we could talk more...just talk.

**A/N: If you want to see the video that Chris talked about, here is the link:**

watch?v=litXW91UauE

**So for some reason when I copy and paste the link it doesn't wanna cooperate so just go to YouTube and search up Dove Real Beauty Sketches. **


	25. From Anger to Sadness

**Chapter 25: From Anger to Sadness**

**A/N: Taken from Batman: Gotham Knight, episode one. The animation sucks, but we just got the setting and the characters, btw, we're making names for them...because we're not sure what their names are.**

**Autumn's POV**

I skate down the streets on my skateboard, wearing a long sleeved top, that's kind of loose, but not too loose. It's sea blue along the forearms and just below the shoulder blades, and the rest of my top is gray. My sleeves are rolled up until my elbows.

My pants are denim tattered jeans with a black belt tied around my hips. My shoes are gray comfortable Reebok shoes that hardly have any design.

I love my new board. The background is plain black, but it's got a fiery red orange design that covers half of my board.

My necklace swings as I skate down the road, as the sun starts to shine brightly in my eyes. Ugh, sun, why now? Stupid, blazing ball of fire. Why can't you just finally blow up and kill us all? Fine, sun, be that way. Take your time, and keep shinning.

I look down at the sidewalk as I continue to skate. Then I stop, right in front of a building, with graffiti on the walls, and shattered windows. The perfect place to practice skating. I don't know what this place used to be, but to me, it's one hell of a skate park.

I used to hide here, from the thugs that tried to kill me whenever I tried to steal something from them, or whenever I just plainly pissed them off. They'd go after me, and whenever I knew I couldn't fight back out of tiredness and malnutrition, no matter how angry I was, or how determined I was. I knew when to run away from a fight. I'm not that stupid.

I hid here and added some graffiti to the walls until the heat died down. I stayed here, ever since I moved in with mom here in Crime Alley, before she went on drugs, before she choked herself with a piece of rope...before she suddenly gave herself the right to take her own life.

I shake my head as I hold my board under my arm. Lights are on, someone could be inside.

I walk in through the doors with windows that are shattered.

I smirk tugs at my lips as I look around the place.

There's a huge place where I can skate right in the center of the small building, there are red railings and red benches at the sides of the room. There's a huge red propeller-like thingy at the end of the room, and well, the walls are covered in graffiti, partially because of me. But there is way more graffiti than there was before.

I turn my head, once I hear a sound. I look at one of the red benches and there are four kids sitting on them and talking.

One is a girl, wearing a yellow tank top and tattered jeans, she has dark auburn puffy hair, tied into really big and puffy round pigtails, she has dark skin and bored eyes.

The other one, is a bit chubby, he is wearing a dark red hoodie, his hair is blonde and is in some kind of mohawk style, he's wearing dark green cargo pants and he has white skin. He has those weird sunglasses hanging on his ears, he seems to be feeling cool.

The other dude, has longish dark hair, a white shirt with a red heart encircled in the middle of his shirt. He's wearing loose jeans and neon green rubber shoes.

The short kid, is wearing an orange beanie, a purple shirt with and a green shirt on the inside and some jeans.

They're all holding skateboards as they sit and talk to each other. They're kinda like streetkids, except they can afford not disgusting clothes, boards, and food.

"Nah, that ain't how Batman look like!" The girl says pointing at them, then sitting back.

"I'll tell ya how he look like!" Another kid says. I smirk.

"Yo, what's up?" I grab their attention. They stand up.

"Ya know, hangin' out." The short kid says.

"Cool, this is kinda where I hang out."

They start walking to me. "But, hey, it ain't finders keepers, right?"

I shrug, holding my board.

"You guys got room for one more?" I ask, holding my board.

The chubby kid points at me, kind of leaning back as he walk to me. "Yeah, sure, you got a name, kid?"

"Autumn."

"Cool name, the name's Gabe." The short kid introduces.

They all start to surround me and I smile. Street kids, fun.

**Dick's POV**

I'm driving my car, on my way home, while talking to Babs on the phone.

"So when do you plan on moving out?"

I smirk. "You excited for me to move to my own place?"

"Shut up."

"Well, uh Babs. There's been some change of plans."

"What is it? What happened?" She suddenly sounds more concerned.

"I don't wanna move out...not just yet."

"What? Why?"

"Here comes the news, Babs. I think it's finally safe to say this to you."

"What is it?"

"It's Jason." My voice emotionless, that isn't usual.

A quick silence, then a sigh. "Dick, what good news can you give me, when it comes to Jason?" I can hear the strain in her voice. She was like a sister to Jason...before, he…

She's only saying that because it's true.

The first news was when I told her was when Jason was twelve. The street kid who stole the tires of the BatMobile was taken in by Dad, then the street urchin took Robin away from me. Even if I was already NIghtwing.

The second news I gave her was that...that the kid that Barbara treated like a little brother when she was around…the cocky, arrogant, fearless, stupid kid...died. At the age of fifteen. Blown up in a warehouse by The Joker, fell into a trap, with his mom.

The last time I told her about Jason was a 'don't get your hopes up' kind of thing. I told her that Jason came back, all the way from the dead...he was back. Barbara didn't care how, or why, but when I gave her the news, she seemed...happy that her little brother came back. But before she could hug me, I looked down...and told her that there was a catch..._our_ Jason had died…the Jason that came back, was different. I really wish I had never told her that….maybe she wouldn't have gotten hurt. But she was probably gonna find out in the end... There was no point on keeping it a secret from her.

I shake my head. But now it's different. Our Jason has really come back...well, I'm not sure about that cause he hardly talks to us anymore. He always seems serious everytime I see him walk down the hallway, like he's in deep thought.

"No, really! He's back home! For good! Our Jason's back!"

A stunned silence coming from the other line.

"I don't care why, or how you did it, Dick. But I'm on my way now."

"Wait! Babs!" I say before she can put down the phone. "Not...just yet."

"Are you trying to keep me away from that cocky arrogant kid? Dick, you're not gonna be jealous are you? I see Jason as a little brother."

I can feel the red hot blood rush up my cheeks. "What! No!" I can feel her smirking on the other line. "I know that!"

"It's just...there are a lot of changes, I don't know if Bruce will allow any visitors, just yet."

"Why not?"

"There's a new addition to the residents of the Manor. Her name's Autumn Cross."

"Who's that?"

"Phoenix." I growl that name.

"Dick, I suggest you all leave the manor now. And grab the nearest weapon and bonk Bruce on the head. Is Bruce out of his mind!? Phoenix is a twelve year old crime lord! She killed hundreds! She nearly killed you guys! She messed with your minds and nearly tore your family apart! How could Bruce let her stay there! She's friggin' crazy!"

"She's Red Hood's partner. Remember?"

"Yeah I know that. But why not just leave her in an orphanage?"

"Well, Jason doesn't want that. She's Jason's little sister."

"Jason has a sister?"

"Yeah, check her files. We just recently changed it. Her mom's Sheila Haywood."

"It does say that. Who's her dad? Ryan Cross?"

"Yeah, a mercenary. Apparently, that man would've matched up against Deathstroke."

"I see it. He's deceased. Killed by The Joker. No wonder she and Jason get along. They have some kind of grudge against that maniac."

"Yeah...But Babs. Why would Bruce let our enemy...the very girl that tried to kill us all...into the manor! It's messed up! Or has Dad completely lost his mind?"

"Dick, I don't know a lot about what's going on. Since you don't tell me everything." There's no blame in her voice.

"Sorry about that."

"But…" She continues. "Keep in mind that this Autumn Cross is still just a kid. You guys don't know what she's been through. As much as I resent her, and as much as I hate to say this...try and give her a chance, people can change. Just look at your little brother. But if she hurts you guys, she's going down. I'll be the very person to throw her into Arkham."

Oh yeah, I wonder how her stay was at Arkham?

I sigh.

"So when are you coming back?" She suddenly asks. I don't take my eyes off the road. "Back to the Team, I mean. It just isn't the same without you Dick. I mean, I can handle leading missions. Tim is doing fine. Kaldur is handling the pressure. But…"

I clutch the wheel. "I don't know Babs. I don't think I can. Ever since Wally…" I just keep my eyes on the empty road. "I don't know Babs."

"Okay. LIsten, Dick, I have to go. See you tomorrow." I silence. "Love you." She says.

"Yeah, okay. Bye." I say, holding my phone with one hand and putting it down.

Me, Wally, Kaldur….we founded the Team; it just won't be the same without him around anymore…it won't ever be the same...now that he's gone for good.

Tim says that things have changed. There are new members since I left…and new holograms in the garden... Jason's hologram hasn't been taken down yet. Nobody knows that he's back at all.

I wonder how Conner and M'gann are. Are they back together? Now that La'gaan left...

How's Artemis holding up? Or Tigress?

What about Kaldur? How's he handling the pressure?

Well, one thing's for sure. They don't need me there.

For now, the only team I'm in is with my family. Then maybe I can move to Blüdhaven and go solo, handle my own city. I'm old enough after all.

I stare at the road. Then suddenly sparks of red and yellow flash on the road. Then they disappear. "Help me!" Something whispers in my ear.

****Break****

**Autumn's POV**

I casually walk through the doors of the manor, holding my board. Those kids were fun to talk to, I just wish they weren't talking about Batman. They think he's some kind of gigantic bat, or shadow, or a damn robot. But really Batman's just a man in a bat costume.

I start walking up the stairs. It's four o' clock. Like I said, I'd be home before dinner.

"Where did you go?" I stop on the fourth step.

I cringe but I don't turn around.

"Out."

"Why didn't you say anything?" Mr. Wayne's deep voice asks.

"Did I need to?"

"You're a twelve year old."

"So?"

"I'm sure you know the dangers of Gotham city."

"Of course, sir."

"Something could have happened to you. You shouldn't go out on your own."

"Ever heard of independence? Because I've been at it for a long, long time. Nothing's happened." Except for...stuff. "Besides, why do you care? I'm sure that if I died, you'd be the happiest man on earth. Sir." I run upstairs and avoid his glance.

I walk down the hallway, holding my skateboard.

Jason walks out of his room as I walk towards mine. "You got a new board huh?" Is the first thing he says. "Where'd you skate?"

"That abandoned skatepark."

"In Crime Alley?"

"Yeah. By the way, your dad chewed me out for leaving the house without permission. It's stupid to chew me out for something like that."

"Yeah, well, you go out on your own all the time. But you still need to be careful, I don't want my little sis getting kidnapped, again." I stiffen at the mention of that. But I chuckle lightly.

"Okay, man. That won't happen again, no worries."

I smirk and I start walking towards my room.

"Oh and Jase. Throw away that pack of cigars, please." I request, without turning back to look at him.

"Damnit." He mumbles.

"You shouldn't have bumped into me. Then there could have been a tiny chance that I wouldn't have noticed the box in your hand." I smirk.

I walk in and place my board down. People that don't skateboard suck. Especially if they're guys.

Skateboarding is like an alternative for jumping over rooftops and flipping over the midnight sky. But it isn't the same...not really.

I walk towards my desk and take my ipod from my bed and I play in loudspeaker.

I smile as I listen to Here I Am Alive by Yellowcard. It sounds kinda happy, but I'm in a pretty good mood right now.

I walk to one of my bags and pull out a comic. I flop on my bed listening to the song. Tina, also known as Tin (The girl with the puffy hair) suggested I listen to this song.

I read Homestuck. I have a grin on as I read.

After maybe thirty minutes. "MY SHIP DIED!" I scream. "NOOOOOO!" I wipe away the fake tear.

"That's sooo sad!" Why!?

"Now way!" I wipe away the other fake tear.

Then one of the awesome songs goes on. My sad face washes away. "OOH! I like this song!"

**A/N: I Will Not Die by Three Days Grace**

_Tell me how you feel over and done with_!

I grin. Ah, I like this song.

_Wanna be a lost boy, last chance, a better reality!_

I bounce my head and hum to the tune. I sit back down on my bed.

I love music. It gets my mind out of a lot of things, but sometimes...it reminds me of stuff.

The song switches. Ehhh, this song is okay.

I move to my ipod and change the song.

"_On the ground, I lay! Motionless, in pain!_" I pretend that I'm holding an electric guitar as I kneel on my bed.

"_I can see my life, flashing before my eyes!_" My eyes widen and I grin at the wall. "Dude! This reminds me of that one time! When I crashed! Cool!"

"_Wake me up! I'm living a nightmare!"_ That reminds me of how I'm stuck in this manor.

"_I will not die! I will survive! I will not die! I'll wait here for you! I feel alive!_" I love this song! It either reminds me of me or maybe of my bro!

"_In my time of dying!_" Nah, this is sooo Jason. He's a complete zombie.

I lay down on the bed. "_On this bed I lay! Losing everything! I can see my life, flashing before my eyes!"_ RED HOOD! THIS IS SOOO HIM!

"_I can see my life, flashing before my eyes." _ Yeah...this is Jason...sooo sad. He died...how sad...

"_Wake me up! I'm living a nightmare!_" Jason should play this on his electric guitar! Then he should sing along! Hehe, yeah!

"_I will not die! I'll wait here for you! I feel alive, when you're beside me!_"

"_In my time of dying!_"

I pretend to play the guitar and the drums for the instrumental. Wow, this is loud.

"I _will not die! I'll wait here for you!_" I jump up and soften the volume. That was fun.

But now, I'm bored.

I run to my desk and look at my drawing. My drawing of a robin. "Cool." It looks kinda epic, with all the black and white effect and the texture. The wings are spread and the feet are hidden under those feathers.

It looks cool. But I scowl. "It's not perfect!" It has to be perfect! "Dad said, everything I do has to be perfect!"

I shrug. "Whatever. I'm not throwing this away. It took me a good thirty minutes and a lot of focus to draw this!"

And I hardly am able to focus, unless I'm on a mission or something. Unless, it's extremely important. Then I will make myself focus.

I keep my drawing in my envelope that's full of drawings. As I pull out the envelope, I pull out pieces of papers. I get them, I don't remember packing this.

As I stare at it. The song switches to Never Grow Up by Taylor Swift.

They're pictures. I drop my stuff. I get the pictures.

I walk towards the desk, holding the pictures and staring at them. I set them on my desk and sit down.

They're pictures of me and my dad when I was just two. I was sitting on his shoulders, in the park of Gotham. I was waving my hands in the air.

In my mind, the picture moves, it turns into a memory.

I swayed my hands, as I giggled on top of my dad's back. That was one of the rarest times that I got to spend time with my dad, and not train.

I look at the next picture.

I was still just a toddler. Dad was dropping me off at Japan. I hugged him so tightly, I didn't want to leave. He tried to push me away but I couldn't let go. I didn't wanna leave my daddy.

The last picture was when I was nine. He brought me to the Gotham Zoo. Dad had a bird on his arm as he grinned at it, I tried to hide my face. I never liked animals.

I smile slightly at the pictures. I must have packed them absent mindedly.

I shake my head. I turn to the ipod and I shut it off.

"Miss you dad." I smile as I turn put my ipod on the desk. My face hardens. "But we all have to grow up at one point in our lives. You should know, you taught me that. I hope you can hear me as I say this. It was one hell of a mistake to teach me that, dad."

****Break****

**Chris' POV**

"Two Face just escaped." Batman says, not taking his eyes off of the large screen.

"Are we all going after him?" I turn to my big brother. Under his chin, on the upper part of his neck, the burn that Autumn gave him looks better than it did before. Autumn...why on earth is she living with us?! Bruce is going crazy...

"No. Damian and I will do patrol as usual. You, Tim, and Chris will comprehend Two Face. That means both you and Tim should watch out for Chris. Two Face can be dangerous."

I roll my eyes. I can watch out for myself.

"Shouldn't it be the other way around? You and Damian should be the ones going after Two Face." Tim states. Tim. Shut. Up. I want to do this! Dad's never let me go after a "high-class" villain without him babysitting me.

"No. I believe you can handle him." As he says that, he quickly glances at me. I let him see a small smile.

"You three can take the Batmobile. Robin and I will use our cycles. Nightwing, you can brief Red Robin and Nightingale on the way there."

We all nod. Damian heads for his motorcycle and Dick and Tim head for the Batmobile. I'm about to follow them when a strong grip on my shoulder holds me back.

"Be careful." His voice is serious, but I know that he's trying not to portray his worry.

"Okay. You don't have to worry about me."

"But if anything happens to you, your brothers will take the responsibility." His eyes narrow slightly.

"Don't blame Nightwing, or Red Robin in this manner. If something happens to me, the responsibility is mine." Then I give him a hug, because I know that he's really worried.

"Dad, you're freaking out over nothing. What could go wrong?"

****Break****

I'm sitting in the back of the Batmobile because Tim took the front seat. Dick's driving, obviously.

"Two Face and his accomplices are transporting illegal weapons from the docks to an unknown location. We will follow them from a safe distance, then strike once we know what's going on. Nightingale, Red Robin and I will take out his goons and the people he's selling to while you go after Two Face."

Why am I getting the job that involves Two Face directly? There's no way Nightwing would let me do this...yet. Maybe Batman told him to give me the riskier job. Well, Batman is letting me out of his sight for once. Maybe this is a test from Batman. Or maybe he's really just loosening his grip on me...nah that can't be it.

Once Nightwing's mini-briefing is over, I pull out my iPhone (I usually bring it just so I have something to do in the car) and put one earphone on. Then I start listening to my music. _Angel with a Shotgun_ starts playing. Yes! I love this song!

_Get out your guns. Battle's begun. Are you a saint or a sinner?_

I shouldn't sing, so I just start humming the tune.

_If love's a fight, then I shall die, with my heart on a trigger._

I start to move my head in time with the music.

_They say before you start a war, you better know what you're fighting for. Well baby you are all that I adore. If love is what you need, a soldier I will be._

I start lipsinging, but I try not to make it obvious. In the background, I can hear Nightwing and Red Robin talking about something, but I'm not paying any attention. It doesn't sound important. Just boy stuff.

_I'm an angel with a shotgun, fighting till the war's won. I don't care if heaven won't take me back. I'll throw away my faith, babe, just to keep you safe. Don't you know you're everything I have? And I, wanna live not just survive, tonight. _

"Nightingale, stop listening to music. We're about to start following the shipment." Nightwing's stern voice invades the lyrics of my song.

I stop the music, take out my earphone, and place them in a slot on the inside of the car.

I lean to the side and look through the windshield. The actual truck is far away, but the screen maximizes the large truck. We stay a safe distance from the truck for a good ten minutes until the truck stops in front of...an abandoned toy store? That's kinda creepy.

We stop the car and observe what's going on. The doors of the large truck open and Two Face and an accomplice of his step out. The accomplice moves to the back of the truck and opens the two wide doors. Five goons step out of the truck, each carrying a crate.

The goon who opened the doors closes them as Two Face yells at his other men.

"Hurry up and bring those crates inside! We don't want the Batman catching us! We'd better hurry!" He orders. All six of his men walk into the toy store and Two Face follows them.

"Let's go." Nightwing orders. The car opens up and we all hop out.

"Red Robin, scan the perimeter. Look for any openings for us to enter the building. Nightingale and I will observe what's going on inside through a window. We don't want to attract any attention when we enter the building." Red Robin nods and disappears into the night.

We head toward the building and move to every window, looking out for any more of Two Face's goons. We don't encounter anything when we find a window that allows us to view what's going on inside. There are some holes in the glass, allowing Nightwing to fit a small scoping device through one of the holes. A holographic image projects from his wrist computer, the feed from the device.

I can see the side of Two Face's face that isn't burned off. Behind him, one of his thugs is opening a crate. He pulls out a gun and hands it to Two Face, who examines it in his hands, then pushes it forward to an unknown buyer. The buyer's face is shielded by the shadows, but I can make out at least two other men with him.

"Fresh shipment. Take it or leave it." Two Face snarls.

The unknown man grabs it from his hands and examines the gun. From the holographic image, it looks like an AK-47.

"It'll do." A deep, rough voice replies. "What's your price?"

"$100,000. No negotiations."

"WHAT?! WHAT THE-" I stop paying attention and turn on my com link.

"Red Robin, what's your status? Looks like we need to be going in soon."

"I had to take down three men guarding the perimeter. They're all terrorists. Probably from Jump City."

I turn to Nightwing. "Two Face is selling to terrorists." He nods in response, still watching the feed.

"What about our way in?" I ask Red Robin.

"There's a back door that's already open since one of the guys came out of there right before I took him down."

"Ok we're on our way." I turn to Nightwing, who is now looking at me. "Red Robin found an entrance."

Nightwing nods in response. He removes the scoping device and puts it back in his gauntlet. The two of us quietly move to the back of the building and see Red Robin waiting for us.

"We'd better get in there. They're about to start a gunfight." Nightwing enters the building first, then me, then Red Robin. Nightwing navigates us to the center of the toy store, where the deal is being carried out. As we get closer and closer, the yelling becomes louder.

"I AM NOT PAYING THAT MUCH FOR GUNS FROM YOU!" The terrorist.

"Well then it looks like you're at a loss. You won't get your guns. I'm not changing the price."

"YOU BASTARD! YOU SAID THAT WE WOULD GET OUR GUNS AT A REASONABLE PRICE!"

"A reasonable price for _me._ Since you don't want new guns, I guess I'd better decide whether you should live or die." As the two groups of men come into view, I can see Two Face holding his coin in his hand. Everyone has their guns out. Three of the terrorists have their guns aimed at Two Face, while the other two have theirs aimed at Two Face's men, who have their guns aimed back at them. Two Face has his handgun at his side.

The sound of the coin being flipped fills the quiet room. Two Face catches the coin and flips it onto the back of his hand. I can make out the dirty side of his coin.

Before Two Face can speak, the terrorist negotiating with him speaks up. "You don't get to decide if I live or die. It's gonna be the other way around." Everyone prepares to shoot each other.

In the corner of my eye, I see Red Robin throw a few smoke capsules into the middle of the two groups. The capsules engulf the room in smoke.

The three of us run into the chaos.

"Dammit! Batman's here!"

"Not exactly." I say as I punch a thug that's in my way.

All around me, I hear gunshots and groans. I'd love to go around punching every thug I see, but that's not my mission.

As the smoke begins to clear up a bit, I see Two Face shooting into the smoke.

"There you are." I run at him and do a flying kick to the face. He only sees me right before my foot comes into contact with his face.

Two Face falls to the floor, holding his face. "GET HER!"

I turn and see one of his men aiming his gun at me. I roll on the floor toward him as he shoots at me, and I throw a batarang at his gun. The gun explodes in his hand, and right after the light from the explosion dies down, I get up and punch him in the face. He stumbles backward and is about to run at me when Red Robin hits him in the stomach with his collapsible staff.

"I've got him. Just focus on Two Face!"

I nod and turn back to Two Face, who has gotten up and has his handgun pointed at my chest. In his other hand is that coin of his.

"Seriously? The 'leaving every decision I make up to chance' thing still? Jeez, I thought you would've outgrown that. I guess old habits do die hard." I start walking toward him.

"I'm not a child, unlike you. Let's see if Batman's little girl will survive this encounter." He's about to flip the coin.

"Not so fast...you need a nickname. It takes waaay to long to say Two Face. Would it be TF? Facey? Ugh no. I guess it's TF."

"Stop stalling little girl I'm losing my patience." Two Face's eyes narrow. Yes, he's getting angry. The Plan: get him angry so that I can use his anger against him.

"Hey! I am not little! I happen to be average size! It's Red over there who's little." I nod my head in his direction. When I do that, I notice one of Two Face's men trying to sneak up behind me. I do a roundhouse kick and end up kicking the guy in the neck. When I turn back around, Two Face has the coin on the back of his hand.

"Looks like today's your lucky day. The Bat won't lose his little girl."

In the corner of my eye, I see one of the terrorists coming up next to me. His gun is pointed at Two Face. I can't let him kill Two Face.

I swiftly turn around and push the gun up with my hand. Then I kick his stomach. He tries to kick my side, but I grab his fat leg and pull it up, causing him to lose his balance and fall.

I hear the flip of a coin.

I turn to my left. "Nightwing, take care of this punk for me please." He's right next to me fighting one of the other terrorists.

I don't wait for his answer (I doubt he was gonna anyway he looked busy) as I turn around to face Two Face, who took three steps closer to me.

"But that doesn't mean that Batman won't lose a different member of his family." He has a smirk on his messed up face. In his palm, the dirty side of his coin is facing up. His gun is aimed somewhere to my left. Dick.

Two Face pulls the trigger.

I could throw an explosive batarang. The force of the explosion could blow the bullet off course. _Could._ If it doesn't work, then that would be fruitless.

I can't think of anything else to do.

I can warn Dick, but the bullet's coming closer and closer to him. If I did warn him, he'd turn around just in time to see the bullet hit his chest. If he decides not to turn around and just moves out of the way, he'd still get hit right next to his shoulder blade. He can't roll because the goon he's fighting has him in a position that prevents him from doing so. He won't duck because that means the bullet would hit the terrorist.

There's still one thing I can do...

I can't lose a member of my family. I can't lose my brother. My biological brother.

But if I do this right, I can save him. I can spare the family a moment of grieving. I can spare Barbara the pain she will feel.

I jump in front of the bullet.

**Dick's POV**

I hear a shot behind me. Two Face is probably trying to shoot at Nightingale. He'll never get her.

Suddenly, I hear a grunt right behind me. I hear something hit the floor. I turn my head to the side so I can see what's going on in the corner of my eye. It's not something...it's _someone_...Christine.

Oh no...

My eyes widen.

"NIGHTINGALE!"

I'm suddenly filled with anger...but I have to control it. I can't express my anger.

I turn back to the terrorist, my eyes narrowed. I bring him closer to me and headbutt him. Then I do a roundhouse kick to his face and I send him flying.

"Let's go boys! We're done here!" Two Face yells. All of his men, who are conscious, get up and run out the door. I can't follow them. I have to get Christine back to the cave.

I crouch down and analyze my sister's gunshot wound. The Kevlar in her suit prevented the bullet from going too deep, but it still did damage. She was hit right below the ribcage.

Christine...OH MY GOD...please...please be alright...

In the background, I hear the terrorists running out the back door. Red Robin crouches on the other side of Christine.

"What happened?!"

"Not completely sure. Prevent her from losing too much blood."

Tim takes off only his cape and presses it against the bullet wound.

"Dick..." Chris gasps. My eyes dart to my sister's face.

"You'll be okay. We're bringing you back to the cave." I grasp her smaller hand in my hand.

"Sorry...miscalculated...think it hit some veins..." Her grip on my hand tightens.

"Red Robin. Help me take her to the Batmobile."

We carefully lift her up, Tim keeping pressure on Christine's wound.

"I got her. Just summon the Batmobile."

Tim nods and allows me to carry Christine in my arms.

"It's not your fault..." Then her eyes close and she blacks out.

What does she mean it's not my fault? Why would I think it's my fault?

I run out of the toy store, Tim at my side. When we burst through the doors, the Batmobile is waiting for us. We hop in. I place Chris in the back and I sit next to her, still applying pressure to her wound.

"Autopilot. Go home."

The car revs up and starts heading in the direction of the cave.

I look down at my sister's face. Christine...what happened?

**Tim's POV**

"Red Robin, what is it?" Batman's face pops up on the screen in the Batmobile. We're five minutes away from the cave. By the sound of his voice, I know that he can sense something is wrong.

"Two Face had planned to sell his weapons to terrorists from Jump City, but we dropped in on them. We don't know the details, but Nightingale was shot." I'm surprised at how calm I sound. This is how I sound every time I give a status report.

His eyes widen slightly, but then they quickly go back to normal. Then he lets out a small sigh.

"I'll meet you at the cave. Batman out." The screen closes.

He took that rather well.

I turn around and look at Chris. My black cape is turning blood red. Instead of her face looking peaceful, she looks...in pain.

Dick has a pained look on his face that's tinged with worry. He's muttering to himself.

What happened? All I know is that she was shot, probably by Two Face. The question is how. She's pretty good at eluding bullets. And Dick said that she was right behind him. Is that a coincidence? No...Batman said that there are no coincidences. Everything has to be connected.

So what exactly happened?

****Break****

**Chris' POV**

Why am I always the one getting hurt?

First, Autumn beat me to a pulp and Batman came right before I became unconscious. Then, just over the summer, I got a skull fracture. Now, here I am, knocked out again, because I got shot.

Isn't my life great?

I didn't expect my injury to be this bad. I only wanted to get shot in a place that would cause very little damage. Instead, I ended up miscalculating my jump and allowed the bullet to penetrate a few veins. I just hope I don't bleed to death.

Well, it's better than my brother dying on the spot.

At least I can get some help...right?

The last thing Two Face said to me...

_But that doesn't mean that Batman won't lose a different member of his family_.

Family...it all comes back to that word.

I jumped in front of that bullet because of family.

Because family is everything to me.

If I lost my family...didn't I already go over this?

Yea I think I did...huh...

Anyway, here I am, unconscious...

Just because I'm knocked out doesn't mean that my thoughts cease.

Well...I don't know what else to think about, so I'll continue thinking about family.

Who's more important in my family: me or Dick?

I think Dick is...well to Dad at least.

He has never lost his eldest son. Dick is a survivor. He was able to live this life. Bruce, and maybe even the entire family, would fall apart without him.

What about me? Yea I'm the only daughter, but I'm not that special. I don't even know why Dad allowed me to do this gig. He's overprotective, so why am I just all of a sudden allowed to be a hero when Tim had to go on a "journey to find himself?"

_But you are important! Bruce is overprotective of you!_

That's probably because I'm his daughter...and that's the only reason. Ya know, like father-daughter relationship...it's kinda like instinct, I guess...

_Stop thinking that you aren't important to the family. You know that you are. _

Okay, whatever. I don't even know why I'm thinking like this.

TOPIC CHANGE!

_Sometimes to win, you've got to sin, don't mean I'm not a believer._

Haha this again.

_And major Tom, will sing along. Yeah, they still say I'm a dreamer._

_They say before you start a war, you better know what you're fighting for._

_Well baby, you are all that I adore, if love is what you need, a soldier I will be._

_I'm an angel with a shotgun, fighting 'til the war's won, I don't care if heaven won't take me back._

_I'll throw away my faith, babe, just to keep you safe. Don't you know you're everything I have?_

_..and I, wanna live, not just survive, tonight._

This song kinda reminds me of my situation...

It also reminds me of the past...about the way I felt when my family was nearly out of my grasp...

When my family almost disappeared from my life.

Because...of...Autumn...

Everything comes back to her too, doesn't it?

Suddenly, things begin to flash in my head.

The sight of my entire family crippled on the ground as Autumn and Jason walk away.

My father, blood seeping out of his stomach, and my brother on top of Wayne Tower, Autumn standing over them.

My brother's burn wound...

Seeing Autumn's face when I walk out of my room...letting the fact that she lives with us sink in...

_Family, it's just a word...it only exists for the people that have it..._

Autumn, Autumn, Autumn...

AUTUMN HURT MY FAMILY! AUTUMN IS A DANGER TO US ALL!

Why the hell did Bruce invite her into our lovely, maniac-free home?...well that's not exactly true...

I HATE AUTUMN!

I think I'm sounding kinda obsessed like I'm gonna kill this girl...

But I'm not...

I just hate her guts.

Everything that reminds me of the evil things Autumn has done suddenly goes through my head all at once...if that's even possible.

Autumn has got to go...she's got to leave this family.

She was never a part of it in the first place.

****Break****

**Bruce's POV**

When Damian and I pull into the cave, the first thing I see is my daughter lying on a bed, Alfred standing over her. He's holding a cloth to her side, probably applying pressure to her wound.

Why is she the one who's always getting hurt?

I hop off of my motorcycle and walk over to Dick and Tim, who are leaning against the BatComputer, conversing.

"What. Happened." I narrow my eyes and harden my voice.

"We don't really know. All we really know is that she was shot by Two Face. No one knows the exact situation." Dick answers, his head bowed.

I let out a rough sigh.

I want to blame my sons for not watching out for their sister, like I told them to.

I want to blame myself. For letting her go on a mission without me at her side to watch over her.

For telling Dick to give her the hardest job.

Just because I wanted her to feel that I was loosening the reins a bit and that I trusted her.

I wanted her to know that I knew that she could handle being a superhero.

Instead, look where it got her.

But I can't blame anyone but her.

_Don't blame Nightwing, or Red Robin in this manner. If something happens to me, the responsibility is mine._

If it weren't for her words, I'd be yelling in Dick's face. I'd be scolding Tim

But all I can do is look at my daughter and try not to blame myself, or anyone else other than her.

I swiftly turn and head over to where Christine is.

"Alfred, how is she?"

"She's lost a lot of blood, but she'll live. She's only unconscious. If it weren't for the Kevlar, she'd be dead. It seems that the bullet narrowly missed her rib and left kidney, but the bullet cut about four veins."

I shift my gaze from the bloody cloth to her face. Her domino mask was taken off, and it seems...unnatural...to see her without a smile or a twinkle in her medium blue eyes. Whenever she's around me, she always seems happy. Even as Nightingale, she adds a more positive air. Sometimes she has a different expression on, but I rarely see her actually looking like she's in pain.

Well that's what she looks like now...in pain.

Kinda worried...

A hint of anger...

Is that the expression she wore when she was shot, or is she thinking...

What are her thoughts?

I place her hand in mine. It feels so small in my large hand.

"I love you Christine." I whisper as I bend down and kiss her forehead.

****Break****

**Chris' POV**

Have you ever listened to a song that is obviously a love song, but took it differently?

Like Angel with a Shotgun. It's about someone who would die for the person they love. As in "soulmate love."

But how I interpret it, it could be seen as someone who would die for their family...for everyone they love.

It's kinda hard to explain.

There are so many different kinds of love, but every single song is about "love love."

Why can't "love love" be family love? Or friend love? It has to be boy/girl love...

Love, love, love..._she's got a love like woe oh oh girl's got a love like woe..._haha

How come last time I was unconscious, I didn't really think like this?

Well I'm doing it now, and that's what matters.

What if I die? Like right now?

How would everything change? How would the people whose lives I affected change?

What would become of Bruce? Of Dick? Of Tim? Of Alfred? Of Damian?

How about Jason? And Autumn?

Damn you Autumn!

But still...what if I never saw them again?

No...I can't let that happen...c'mon body fix me up!

I have to see them again...I need them...I need Bruce...I miss Bruce

_Making my way downtown. Walking fast, faces pass, and I'm home bound._

This song is about doing anything just to see the person you are in "love love" with...but not for me.

_Staring blankly ahead. Just making my way, making my way through the crowd._

I have to go back. I have to go back home.

_And I need you_

I need my family...

_And I miss you_

I miss everyone...

_And now I wonder..._

_If I could fall into the sky. Do you think time would pass me by. Cause you know I'd walk a thousand miles if I could just see you. Tonight._

I just want to see my family.

In the back of my head, I'm thinking about Tim H. (well duh this is a "love love" song), but that's not who I'm really singing about.

_It's always times like these when I think of you and I wonder if you ever think of me._

I know they're thinking of me...

_Cause everything's so wrong and I don't belong living in your precious memory. _

I can't become just a memory.

_Cause I need you_

I need you, Dad.

_And I miss you_

I miss you guys.

_And now I wonder..._

_If I could fall into the sky. Do you think time would pass me by. Cause you know I'd walk a thousand miles if I could just see you. Tonight._

I took the bullet so that I could see my brother again. I didn't expect that they might never see me again. I don't even know if I'll live...

_And I, I don't want to let you know_

I'm starting to gain back some of my feeling...

_I, I drown in your memory_

Someone's holding my hand...

_I, I don't want to let this go_

If I let go, I might leave this world and just become a memory. I grip the hand tighter, at least I think I do.

_I, I don't..._

My feeling is slowly coming back. The hand feels large...Bruce.

_Making my way downtown, walking fast, faces pass and I'm home bound._

I'm almost home...I'm starting to gain back all the feeling in my body.

_Staring blankly ahead, just making my way, making my way through the crowd._

My ears are working again. I can only hear heavy breathing.

_And I still need you_

I will always need you, Dad.

_And I still miss you_

I miss you Dad. Take me home.

_And now I wonder..._

_If I could fall into the sky. Do you think time would pass us by._

_Cause you know I'd walk a thousand miles if I could just see you..._

_If I could fall into the sky. Do you think time would pass me by. Cause you know I'd walk a thousand miles if I could just see you..._

I grip my dad's hand tighter, and I can feel something trickle down my cheek.

_If I could just hold you._

_Tonight._

I slowly open my eyes as another tear falls.

**Bruce's POV**

Did her hand just move?

I move my chair closer to where Christine's head is. I swear her hand moved a bit.

I lean closer to my my daughter. Christine...please...wake up...

I notice something on her cheek...a tear drop.

Her hand moves again.

I look at my daughter's face as medium blue becomes visible.

"Christine."

"D...Dad?" She looks at me, tears in her eyes.

Oh my poor girl.

"It's okay. It's okay. I'm here. You're okay." I lean in and hug her, and she hugs me back as best as she can.

"I...I'm home..."

I release her as she looks around. We're still in the cave, and I'm still in my work clothes. Everyone went upstairs and went to sleep. Everyone but me.

"Christine. What happened? How'd you get shot?"

She ignores my question. "What time is it?"

"Almost 4 a.m. You were out for a few hours. Now answer the question."

She doesn't say anything at first. She just looks at me. "It's not Dick's fault..."

"I know it's not. Just tell me what happened first."

"Two Face was gonna shoot Dick...and I didn't know what else to do." Her eyes wander to her bullet wound. Alfred bandaged it after the blood flow ceased a bit. "I'm sorry...I didn't want you to grieve over your son, especially since you just got one back."

"Making it okay to let us grieve over you?" I know I'm still in uniform, but Batman leaves as I talk to my daughter. The father under this mask comes out.

"It...It wasn't supposed to be this critical. Sorry."

I stare at my daughter. My poor daughter...

"No need to apologize. Why are you crying?" My daughter does that to me. I am Batman but I am still a father. The father side of me takes over whenever I see any of my sons or my daughter hurting.

Her eyes widen a bit as she feels her cheek. She quickly wipes away her tears.

"Didn't want to be a memory...couldn't lose Dick...couldn't lose my family...family...family..." Usually when she mutters, it doesn't make sense, so I'm only alarmed when her eyes widen.

"Can't lose you...can't lose my family...can't lose...to...AUTUMN!" She pushes herself up abruptly.

"What? Calm down!" She's trying to get off the bed, but I'm holding her arm back.

"Dad. Let. Go." She glares at me. What just happened?

"No. Why are you suddenly angry at Autumn?" I don't need to ask her to know what she's feeling.

"Are you gonna let go?" She sounds annoyed.

"No. What's going on with you?" I narrow my eyes slightly.

Her mouth tightens, and then suddenly something hits my face. She just punched me! I let go of her arm out of shock, and when I look up, she's already almost halfway up the stairs.

"Christine get back here!" I stand up and run after her, but she's already almost to the door.

"Autumn has to go!" She yells back at me right before she heads into the house.

**Autumn's POV**

The door to my room is wide open letting a little light flow in from the hallway.

I lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling in the dark, listening to music. Playing with fire.

I sway my fingers above me, watching the unburning fire dance along with my fingers. My hands sway and play as I stare at the fire that isn't warm.

The fire in my hands feels like nothing, it doesn't feel like anything. But if I concentrate on my senses, the fire feels...cold. It would make every vein in my body tremble, it would make me shudder, and I would feel as if ice is crawling up my spine, to my nape and then to the tip of my fingernails. That's how the fire feels.

It's cold, it doesn't burn. But it so cold, that it burns my insides. It's difficult to explain.

Why do I continue to do this? Because right now, the fire in my hands is beautiful in my eyes.

The fire is dim, shadows consume the area, the darkness follows the dim light everywhere it moves. And to me, it looks different.

People would say that fire is beautiful because it shines brightly and brings light. People say it's a gift from the heavens because it brings warmth into the hearts of men.

But for me, fire is darkness. It's bright, but it can be dim. It can burn, yet it can be so cold.

It reminds me of the fact that, there cannot be light without darkness, and there cannot be darkness without light.

I stop playing with the light. I stare at my scarred hands.

I close my eyes and let my hands fall on the bed.

I sit on the fire escape in the night. Hugging myself. I shiver when the cold breeze of Gotham City blows at my frozen cheeks. I listen to Papa and Mama fighting, screaming, yelling at each other. I listen to the shattering of glass.

I know that Papa would kick me out later tonight. But I would just sneak back in at three later on, it's what I usually do.

Papa wouldn't notice, he would be at the bar by then. Sometimes Papa would leave the apartment and not come back 'till the next afternoon.

He wouldn't notice me sneak back in later on, once he kicks me out after they stop yelling at each other.

Why would Papa throw me out? He just does that...for no good because he hates me.

He hates me...but he's still here. He loves mama. I guess….

I would never fight back, even if I could kill him any time with one touch of my middle finger. That's what Mama told me to do...before my brother died….before mom started to let her life be under the control of drugs.

Why do I still keep this promise? In hopes that maybe one day. Mom would wake up from her endless sleep and realize that after all that happened, I still kept that promise. Maybe if I held onto her words...maybe she would open her sleepy eyes.

I would never disobey my mama.

I hug myself, listening to the crying wind and staring at the empty midnight sky.

The milky puddle in the center of the dark sky usually illuminating and bringing light to the night is partially covered by a heavy gray cloud.

I look at the one star flickering in the sky. Jeopardizing the hope that there's one bit of light in the sky.

I wish upon the star. "I wish….I wish…this would all end." I whisper as I stare at the tiny star in the sky. I know I'm just lying to myself. Stars are billion of miles away. But the light travels here, that star might not even be there anymore. The light from that star could go out any second.

I squeeze my eyes shut. "I miss…'before'"

Footsteps start to come up from behind me.

I hold myself as the large figure comes closer and closer to me.

"What's the matter LIttle Girl?" He says, but I know he's simply mocking my weakness. I say nothing to him and I keep my back turned.

Then he grabs my hair and pulls my head back. I clench my teeth, feeling the pain at the back of my neck.

I wince.

"What's the matter Little Girl? You scared of your Papa. Huh?" He pulls my hair harder.

"Mrk." I wince, holding my tattered jeans.

"Answer me!" He yells.

I can smell his breath, the stench of smoke with beer.

I remember the stench of smoke from my real dad. But the smoke around him felt more, calming. But the stench coming from Papa's breath, is a mixture of sourness and bitterness.

"N...NO Papa!" He violently pushes my head forward and lets go.

"Good. Now. Let's go."

"Where...where are we going?" I ask.

"I said now!" He says and I quickly stand up.

"Put on some socks and a jacket."

"Y...yes Papa."

I do as he says then I follow him as we walk out the door.

We walk down the streets of Gotham. "Put your hood up, cover your face. Do everything I tell you to, and I'll buy you some ice cream or whatever. You want ice cream?" He asks, counting money in his hand.

I nod. "Yes Papa."

"Then let's go."

We end up in an abandoned alley with a whole bunch of guys. "Who's this kid?" One of them points at me. "No worries, she'll disable the alarms. If she makes a mistake, the guard will head for her and we can get the grub while they're distracted by this little bastard." Papa smirks, thinking that I don't understand anything. How stupid does he think I am?

We head to a bank. A closed one. Papa signals me to enter through the docks. I do as he says.

I jump down once I see the security system and I disable the alarms as simple as that. The guard on the chair that's supposedly watching is asleep. I drug him to make sure he really doesn't wake up.

Not for good. Of course, this guy could have a family to get too. Too bad, that when we're done here, he'll be out of a job.

Oh well, life isn't perfect.

I watch through the security cameras as they steal the money and stuff them in a duffle bag, then they leave as quietly as possible.

I keep an emotionless face and I leave the same way I came in.

"Well that went better than I expected." One of Papa's friends says as we walk down the streets.

Papa is busy counting his money as he smirks.

"You did good kid, keep it up and I might just find a place for you." Papa tells me and I look down.

I really don't like what I just did...but if I don't do it, Papa will hurt me and I won't be able to do anything about it because of Mamma.

Papa gives me a few bucks for me and my mom and he pushes me forward. "Go home, and don't tell Tessa what you did. Well, it's not like she'll care."

I walk forward holding the little money he left us with. A couple of bucks that's hardly enough to pay for the electric bill.

I sigh and keep walking.

I walk towards the apartment and up the fire escape. Through the window.

I look around the living room and find Momma talking to some thugs outside the door, they exchange stuff. "No!" I grab the knife on the coffee table and point it at the dealers.

I move Mom behind me and stand in front of her. "You stay the hell away from her!" The dealers start moving back, "You understand! Don't come back!" I shut the door in their noses.

I turn back to my mom. She's glaring at me with a scowl on her face. I look at her, bruises on her face and her legs. Self harmed cuts on her arms and blood oozing out of her palms.

She's wearing short shorts and a sleeveless black top. Her hair is unusually messy and her eyes piercing through my body.

I clench the knife. "Give that to me. That's mine."

I shake my head. "No momma, you'll hurt yourself."

"GIVE IT TO ME!" She runs towards me. She holds the knife in my palm and she tries to take it from me.

"No! It's enough! Stop hurting yourself!"

She takes it out of my grasp. She holds the knife in one hand as she stares at me. She's getting worse. That nice doctor that owns a clinic here in Crime Alley said that mom has a mental disorder. I don't remember what caused it, but she wasn't born with it.

But along with the drugs, the depression and the anger, mom can get horribly violent. Because she doesn't remember who I am, she won't think twice about hurting me.

She holds me back and pins me to the wall. "Momma!" I cry. "I...I won't fight back!" I scream and let the tears flow down my cheeks.

I see shiny tears drop down her eyes and down her chin as she cries and clenches her teeth.

She stabs my wrist and pins it to the wall. She yells as she does this. I close my eyes feeling the blood oozing down my wrist.

Mom collapses on the ground, she faints. I can still see the tears streaming down her more calm face.

"Mom!" I take the knife out of my wrist, disregarding the pain. I hug her cold, unconscious body.

This happens, constantly. Mom lashes out all of a sudden, then she collapses.

"Sorry momma, it's not your fault. I know you were fighting." I hug her and gently carry her to the couch with all my strength.

Once I know that she's secured, I walk out of the apartment to see if that nice doctor could still possibly be awake at this time.

I look down at the blood oozing from my deep wound. It doesn't hurt, I lost the feeling of pain months ago, after my brother died. But I should still have it checked. I stare at it, sobbing and letting the burning tears fall to my bleeding wound, mixing with the blood and sweat on my arm.

Then I bump into someone. I look up. At first, I see his chest, then I look at his face. He's wearing a red mask, he has red short spiky hair and a small frown on his face as he looks down at me.

He's holding a bow and a bag of arrows on his back. "Red Arrow." I stare up at him and I close my mouth. AKA. ROY HARPER.

To his side is a guy, also with red hair, and freckles. "Kid Flash." Or Wally West.

Great. Heroes. Just what I needed.

Red Arrow looks down at me with Kid Flash at his side. "Hey kid, watch where you're-" He looks at the wound on my arm.

I hide it behind my back. "What are you two doing here? You two don't work in Gotham."

"We were in the neighborhood and heard there was a bank robbery to investigate. And also...we're kinda bored.." Kid Flash says.

A gust of wind passes by me, and before I know it, West is holding my arm. "Now, um...whatever your name is. You need to have this checked! Right now!"

I violently take my hand away from him and scowl. "What's it to ya? You stupid heroes! Why do you bastards even care!?" I suddenly lose my temper.

Kid Flash lets go and steps back.

"Hey, kid. We're heroes, to help people like you."

"Oh sure, cause throwing the scum in jail is so gonna help street kids like me who are gonna end up like the thugs that you're gonna fight some day. Yeah, you guys are totally helping people like me." I say sarcastically.

Red Arrow shakes his head and takes my wrist. "Who did this to you?" He says, looking behind me at the trail of blood I left behind.

"Why do you give a damn?"

"Just tell us. We might be able to do something about this."

I cross my arms despite my injury. "I doubt that."

I look up and scowl. "Leave me alone! And just go already! GO CATCH THE BAD GUY THAT STOLE THE MONEY!"

"Maybe we can help you. Who is abusing you?"

"There's nothing you can do about it!" I roughen my voice.

"You're a stubborn kid." Red Arrow points out. "Tell us who did this." Red Arrow kneels down to my height and he starts to wrap my arm in a bandage. I let him.

"C'mon tell us. We won't tell anybody else." Kid Flash smirks.

"What am I, five?"

"Well, actually you look more like seven cause of your size, but okay, five will do too."

"We won't leave until you tell us who did that." Harper says concentrating on stopping the blood from flowing.

I take a deep breath. "Listen, I know about the bank robbery, I can tell you who did it. Then leave me alone."

"Cool, but that isn't exactly what we asked you to do for us. Tell us who did that, then tell us about the bank robbery."

Red Arrow stands up and crosses his arms. I hold my wrist. "Fine. The person that did this to me is my mom. She's sick, okay! It's not her fault!"

Red Arrow lets his arms fall.

They take a tiny step back. "The person that you're looking for is my Papa. He's at the bar just five miles down this street, turn left. He's the guy with a baseball bat and well, a lot of money. He's got blonde hair. Trust me, when you see him, you'll know it's him."

"How do you know about the robbery?"

"I was there. I saw it." Red Arrow narrows his eyes, trying to find out if I'm telling the truth, then he nods.

"Kid, take this girl to Leslie's. I'll handle her 'Papa'. I'll talk to her later."

"Okay." He picks me up and smiles. "Hey!" But before I say anything else, he brings me to the clinic I was heading to anyways.

I open my eyes, loud noises bring me into reality. "Autumn has to go!" Christine's voice. Closing in on my room.

Then, she barges in my room, through my door.

**Chris' POV**

_You look like a psychopath you know._

Shut up other part of my brain.

But seriously. Autumn seriously needs to go.

She shouldn't be living under this roof!

She nearly killed all of us!

I barge into her room, still ignoring the pain in my side.

"Why the hell are you still here? You know you don't belong in this house. In this _family_. Remember what you said to me that night? _Family. It's just a word. It only exists for the people that have it._ Well it doesn't exist for you! You're going to kill all of us eventually! Why is Bruce trying to lessen the days we all get to live in this world!?" I hear Bruce's footsteps closing in on the room, but I don't care. I stand over Autumn, who is just sitting on her bed, staring at me with that stupid emotionless expression she wears.

"YOU ALMOST KILLED MY FAMILY! You're really selfish, you know that? You don't have a family, and you feel that you have the right to take away mine!? WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!"

She's still just staring at me. It's really pissing me off.

"AREN'T YOU GONNA SAY SOMETHING?! ANYTHING AT ALL YOU SICK-TWISTED BASTARD?!" Wow, I've resorted to sick-twisted bastard.

"But I know why you have no family! Because you don't care about anyone but yourself! I don't know how Jason has come to care about you! But you're crazy and insane and no one will ever accept you into any kind of family! You'll just be forever alone! Isn't that what you want? To be alone forever? That's why you killed people and let your own dad die!?"

Nothing. No response at all. No movement. She's just sitting still. Doing absolutely nothing. GODDAMMIT THAT'S ANNOYING!

"Why do you still stay here? Bruce says it's just because of Jason...but I don't think so. I think there's some other reason, I just can't put my finger on it...maybe it's because if you didn't, you'd be a pathetic, desperate orphan with nowhere to go! But I'm not one for sympathy. Especially to those who haven't shown any mercy." I cross my arms, since I was flailing them around while I was yelling at her. But now I've calmed down a bit and I'm acting like "Batman," including the stance and the glare.

"I want you out. Out of this house. Out of this family. I don't want to see your damn face ever again, you evil bastard."

For a moment we just stare at each other. I'm just waiting for Bruce to come in, because storming out "without invitation" just isn't my style.

Seven seconds pass until Bruce _finally _decides to intervene.

"Chris. Go to your room. Now." He's glaring at me.

I glare at Autumn, then at Bruce. I take a few steps when I hear something.

"Bastard…" She mumbles.

Oh that son of a-

I swiftly turn around "YOU ARE A-" Bruce violently grabs my arm before I can advance on the b****.

She suddenly stands up as Bruce tries to hold me back. "Okay! I get it! I am a bastard! I have no family! No one cares for me! I'm a maniac! An evil little b****! A good for nothing little bastard who only seems to make other people's lives miserable! My dad, my Papa called me that! And if you wanna call me that, then fine! I never tried to take this family away from you! But sometimes…" She looks down. "I can't always control the other me."

"I never expected to stay for long anyways! I never stay long in the houses that I live in! I was planning to leave soon anyways! Because...with every family I stayed with, they always ended up dead or broken, or even lost! I NEVER WANTED TO DO THAT TO THE PEOPLE OF THIS FAMILY!"

"I know, I should have never been born, you don't need to tell me that! Because everyone that I ever cared about told me that! You know what they all said? They said that I was stupid, worthless, extremely flawed! Insignificant! Weak! Insane…"

"I get it, okay! I have no one to go to, because I'll be alone forever and without a family! Because that's how I am!" Tears start to flow down her eyes as she says this.

"All the people I cared for...died! Every single one of them. It's all my fault! They left me, because I left them! Because I wasn't good enough! Maybe, if I died. Then maybe, none of them would have died. You and your family would have never broke! And maybe, I wouldn't be yelling at you right now and feeling all this pain!" She screams as she shuts her eyes, letting the tears fall.

"Why not just kill me!? Right now!? What harm will it do? You can all keep it a secret. I have no one to run to in my life anyways. But if I die, I don't need to run anymore!"

She falls back down on her bed and just stares at me with bloodshot eyes. The tears falling. I never knew Autumn could even cry.

But I'm not the most sympathetic person in the world.

Let her cry. Let her suffer. She deserves it.

"Because I'm not a killer, unlike you."

I jerk my arms away from Bruce's grip and I walk out of the room, leaving behind the awkward and tense air behind me.

**A/N: Sorry if we updated this one a little late. With school starting again, it gets harder to find time to write. So please be patient with us. Thanks for all the great reviews! **

**Also, if you haven't seen it yet, we posted a poll onto our profile page (sorry for all the random stuff on there) relating to this story. Please cast your votes!**


	26. AfteRshock

**Chapter 26: AfteRshock**

**Autumn's POV**

I pushed Bruce out of the room. I locked the door. I cry.

I sit at the corner and hug myself.

"Mom...mom...I wanna go home...please mom...why didn't you take me with you? Nico...why did you go? Nico...why did you leave? You didn't have to die...I miss you little bro...Dad...why did you save me? Why didn't you just let me burn like you wanted me to?

I hate you dad…when you left...you took everything away from me…

Why am I always the unlucky one?

If someone out there really is watching...then why did he let this happen to me?

Why did he let me be?

I don't blame Carter for telling me those things. They're true. I can't change the truth.

All I can do is lie to myself.

Dad never lied to me. He never lied to me once when he told me that Sheila abandoned me. He just told me the truth straight forward. He didn't even stagger. He just told me the truth. Because he knows that the truth hurts more than the lies.

I wipe my face. And I let my head rely on my palm as my elbow relies on my thigh as I sit in this indian position staring at the ground.

The room is overflowing with silence now.

I sit still.

But even as this world is quiet, I can hear screaming in my mind.

I stare at my left arm, at the scars, at my battle scars.

I stop crying. "_There is no point in feeling sorry for yourself. All you can do now is fight!" _The commander yelled.

"_YES. SIR!" _I yelled.

I take slow breaths. Carter obviously doesn't understand my life.

I was abandoned by my own mom. I was left alone to train. When my dad came back, I was left for good. I was found. But my brother left. I was abused by my Papa. Then my Momma left. I fought. I was betrayed. I was left. I was burned. I was buried.

I wipe my tears. "Stay strong. Crying is for fools." I say to myself.

She thinks that I deserve this. Maybe I do...maybe I do deserve this.

My mouth drops and it falls open as I stare at the wall.

Maybe I do deserve to suffer. Maybe Batman should throw me in Arkham. What for? I'm already living in a prison.

A prison that I built, where no one can break through these gray gates made out of silver. A prison to keep me away from everyone else, a prison to keep everyone else away from me.

A prison for The Phoenix.

I am afraid of caring for these people like a family. I act selfish and arrogant around them, like I don't care about them at all. I am afraid to have a mother, and a father. Because I know that I will just lose them. I already lost my little brother. My dad, my mom, my other mom.

I can't lose my big brother.

I should leave. But will Jason's family keep him safe while I'm gone? Will he go after me and go back to being The Red Hood and get himself killed? What if he goes back to that insane man?

Where will I go? I have no one left…

I stare at the scar on my arm.

"So kid. I never caught your name." Kid Flash says as he watches Leslie patch me up.

I stare at the wound. "Why do you need my name? You gonna send me to Blackgate too like what your friend will do to my Papa?" I scowl.

"No. I'm curious, you know."

I sigh. It's not like I'll live long enough for him to take me to juvie.

"Autumn."

"Huh, Autumn. Cute name."

"Sure whatever." Wally West. Stupid name.

**A/N: No, we personally don't think his name is stupid. But this is Autumn! So don't take any offense about this, don't lash out and please don't flame just because of this little comment coming from Autumn.**

"Look, I don't know why you even care about kids like me...street kids."

He sighs. "I don't think you get it. We told you earlier. It's because of kids like you, why we became heroes. To protect you."

Sure, cause protecting means locking up the baddies just so they can break out all over again.

"Yeah, that makes sense."

Leslie stands up once she finishes fixing the wound up. She smiles warmly at me. "It's a good thing you came to me Autumn. You could have lost a lot of blood if I hadn't stitched it up quickly enough."

I smile back at her. But it's fake, I can't smile genuinely...anymore. But I truly am thankful. "Thanks. And I'm sorry I had to disturb you at this time." She doesn't sense my fake smile, but she keeps on her warm smile.

"Don't worry about it." She pats my messy hair.

Kid Flash turns to me. "Want me to walk you home?"

"No." I state harshly. I hate heroes.

"C'mon. We'll walk. I promise I won't run."

I glare at him. "Fine."

I start walking out the door of the clinic. But I stop and turn to look at the doctor who helped me.

"Thank you and goodnight." I smile and she waves happily at me.

I turn back and walk out the doorway.

West appears right beside me as we walk. "Don't you need to get back to your friend?"

"Yeah but, I can't just let a girl roam around the streets of Crime Alley all on her own way past midnight." Oh believe me, I'm not just a little girl.

"So...why did your own mom did that to you?"

I sigh. "Why in the hell should I tell you that?"

"Cause I'm irresistible. Even to kids. It's impossible to not wanna talk to me!"

"Really? I doubt that."

"C'mon. You owe me one kid."

"No I don't."

"Who brought you to the clinic in a nick of time?"

"I could have done that myself!" I growl and narrow my eyes at him.

"You know who you remind me of? Batman." I narrow my eyes even more. He takes a tiny step back. "Yeah, totally Batman. You know, except he's about this tall." He raises his arm. "Wearing a cape and a cowl. And well, he's much bigger and probably stronger than you are. But I can't help it in saying that you two are kinda alike."

I glare at him and clench my fists. "Well, you got the Batglare down."

"Don't ever compare me to Batman." I let him out of my glare and I continue walking.

"Why not?"

"Just don't."

"Then, when will you tell me about your mom?"

"I told you already, she's sick."

"I don't think a sick person could do that to you." He points to my arm.

"Whatever. She is, okay! It's not her fault! I wouldn't blame her for taking too much drugs…"

"What?"

"None."

"What about your Papa?"

"What about him? He's ruthless, arrogant, the exact opposite of what a Papa should be."

"Then why do you still call him Papa?"

"He told me to."

"But like you said 'he's not a good dad.'"

"Well, I'm not denying the truth, cause it's hella true. But, I have to do whatever he says because my mom told me to do so."

"But-" I stop in my tracks when I see police cars by our apartment. I see Red Arrow at the top of the building, holding his bow.

"Well, I have to go." And in a gust of wind, Kid Flash is at the top of the building.

I watch as Papa gets pushed in one of the police cars. Mom is yelling at the policemen. When did she get up?

I glare at the archer and the speedster at the top of my building. By taking away Papa, they made Momma unhappy. I don't like it when my mom's unhappy.

Under the shadows, I can see the guilt plastered right across Red Arrow's face. I can imagine his eyes under his mask full of pity.

I don't need his pity! I don't need any of their pity! What I need is for heroes to disappear from this world!

I blink. I glance at the window. The sun is gonna come up soon. Okay, maybe in around two hours.

But I can't sleep. No matter how tired I am.

I'm afraid. That I'll fall into another one of those nightmares. Actually...nightmares is just a fancy word for 'bad memories.'

****Break****

**Jason's POV**

Sleep. Yeah, not my thing.

I hold onto my mug as I stare at the counter.

Life has never been easy for me. I guess you could say it's a curse.

I don't think life will ever be simple.

I look out the window of the diner. The sun is about to come up, and I haven't gotten any sleep at all. The window starts to get misty and wet, covering my view of the empty block in front of this diner.

LIfe was never easy…

It sure as hell wasn't easy when I lived with my parents. It didn't get much better when I moved into the Manor. Or dying then coming back. Then becoming a criminal. And after moving back in the manor with my sister.

No...life will never be easy.

My sister isn't getting along with my family and my dad. I'm still trying to figure out what I'm gonna do with The Red Hood, will I continue him? Or will I kill him?

I take a sip of coffee. Maybe I'll continue him…

I guess I'll just have to stop killing and running drug businesses.

The drug thing is simple. But the killing...I still don't approve of Batman's methods. Then there's The Jo- NO JASON DON'T THINK OF THAT!

I take a sip of coffee and then put it down and look at the mist forming on the window. I press my finger on the cold glass and write. _Todd was here._

I smirk at the 'work of art.'

I look back down at my mug. "Mind if I sit here?" I look up.

There's a skinny guy, with ginger hair and pale white skin. He's wearing a hoodie and tattered jeans.

"Nah." I say looking back at my coffee, he sits down in front of me.

"Nice arm by the way." I say without looking back up at him. I smirk when I sense him flinch and hold his robot arm that's hidden under his jacket.

"You better work on hiding that thing." I advice, still holding my cold cup of coffee.

"So what is that thing for?" I look at the guy. He looks kinda familiar.

He smirks. "Satisfaction." He says, looking at it.

"So what, you a cyborg or something?"

"No, nothing like that." This guy is definitely familiar.

"Really? Cause it's obvious that there's hidden weapons in that thing." I whisper with a smirk.

He leans back. "Yeah, so? I'm not planning on blowing up an empty diner." I shrug casually.

"You got a name?"

"Roy Harper." Now that name rings a bell.

"Jason Todd."

"Jason Todd…" He mumbles, looking at the mug in my hand. He furrows his eyebrows.

"Have we met before? I think I know you somewhere." I narrow my eyes at him.

He shakes his head. "No...you must have met the clone…"

"What?"

He looks back at me. "I've heard of someone like you." He furrows his eyebrows at me.

He squints his eyes. Then his eyes widen even more. "Holy s***." He comments, staring at me. "You're Jason Peter Todd."

"Yeah, that's me. How do you know my full name?"

"I've read about you."

I cock my head. "What?"

"I've seen pictures of you. Not to mention that hologram." He looks at the table, trying to remember somethings.

Then his eyes widen ever more as he stares at me. Then they return to normal size. "You're supposed to be dead." He says silently, but I read his lips.

I stand up and leave my cup on the table. "You know what. Get off my back. Cause you don't know me." I start walking backwards and my back hits the door. I turn around and break into a sprint.

Who's this guy? How does he know who I am? Do I know him?

I just keep running down the streets. I look back to see if he's following, he's not behind me. But when I look forward.

There's an arrow that just hit the ground, and in seconds, pink foam locks me onto the ground.

This Roy guy jumps in front of me. He's wearing a suit and a mask now, showing off his robot arm. Wait when did this guy get the time to change?

"Answers. You're supposed to be dead. Robin." He narrows his eyes at me.

Dammit. "Look, I don't know who you think you are. But I haven't been called that in years." Including the years that I was dead. Because less than a year after I died...I was replaced by a new Robin.

"Yeah, whatever. But how the hell did you survive? Where have you been hiding?"

"How do you know about me!?" I growl.

"I've heard about you, during my time with the Team. You're dead. You even have a memorial. Are you a clone?"

The Team...right Batman couldn't have told them, because he's Batman. "Hell no, I'm not a clone."

He narrows his eyes under his mask. He touches his ear with his finger. "Batgirl." He doesn't take his eyes off of me. "I got someone you might want to see." Big mistake telling this guy my name.

I struggle and I hear small cracking noises as I grind my teeth.

Then the hard foam bursts and I kick this guy in the face as I flip. I run away from Roy Harper.

Up a building and over each fire escape. Until I'm sure that he's gone.

**Damian's POV**

Sparring with the weakling. I know I am better than Drake.

He kicks but I jump up and kick his face.

But I need to keep on training, if I am going to be even better than all the past Robins.

It's been one week of school. I cannot believe I am still friends with this kid calling himself 'Scott.' Drake has his own group of friends called 'smart asses'. Chris is always with this other guy who has the same name as Drake over here, other than the fact that they have the same first name. I am sure that this Tim H. is much better than this weakling that I am sparring with right now.

Todd hasn't talked much about anything since last week. He seems to only scowl as he walks down the hallways.

Grayson is…the usual. Always prancing around and living in some sort of rainbow fantasy.

And Autumn. Well. I don't give a damn about that insignificant girl. She eats alone at school. Good. She deserves to always be alone. In her room. At school. Outside school.

She should just be locked up in that room for good and never come out so that I don't have to see her pretty-evil face again.

"Is...is that all you've got?" Drake asks, panting.

I get into a fighting stance and wipe the sweat out of my hair. "What Drake, you getting tired already? You weakling! No wonder Father picked me over you!"

He clenches his teeth and advances at me, yelling.

****Break****

**Autumn's POV**

Chores. Gets my mind out of everything.

I sweep the floor of the hallway.

I stop in front of a room. I stare at the shiny gold door knobs. I put the broom on the wall and make it lean. I slowly open the doors. I look around the room.

There's a huge romantic bed, a huge desk, and window allowing sunlight to flow in. I walk in quietly. Behind the bed, hanging on the wall is a huge picture of a man and a pleasant looking woman holding each others hands.

A shrine is built for the memory of these two people.

The woman is smiling warmly as she holds her husband's hand, she's looking straight forward and her blue eyes are sparkling, she doesn't seem to be wearing way too much make-up, just enough on her lips and cheeks.

The man, had a bushy mustache and dark, jet black hair. His eyes look hard, but his tiny smile says otherwise.

They're both wearing something elegant. I look at the bottom of the picture. _Thomas and Martha Wayne._

Bruce Wayne's parents.

I start moving away from the painting and towards the door. I'm not supposed to be in here. I back away from the room and out the doorway.

I close the door quietly and grab the broom from the wall. I turn around swiftly, and I nearly bump into Mr. Wayne's chest.

I nearly wince but I only let out a small breath.

"What are you doing?"

"Sweeping the floor, Sir."

"Why?" I know he doesn't mean it, but he asks me harshly. I know it's not unusual because sometimes that's also how he speaks to his children.

"Because I'm helping Alfred." I sidestep and hold on to the broom and I turn the other way. avoiding his piercing eyes. He doesn't say anything and he just lets me walk.

I run down to Alfred and further away from Bruce. I slow down once I spot Alfred preparing breakfast. I keep the broom.

"Miss Autumn. Could you please go down to the cave and check on Masters Tim and Damian?"

"Yes Alfred." I say softly and I make my way towards the study, where the grandfather clock is.

How do I know that the entrance is there? I saw it, when I was roaming the halls.

I open the clock and walk into the dark cave.

I hear the bats squeal louder as I walk in. Then I hear a grunt and a yell. I go to the sparring room and find Drake and Dami rolling on the ground grunting and fighting.

"Yo. Breakfast." I say. But they don't listen.

I shrug and I turn around. Oh well, if they wanna kill each other then whatever. It's none of my concern.

Autumn! Alfred told you to get them! If they kill each other then Mr. Wayne will surely blame you! Then you'll get into trouble!

Shuddup! Wayne already hates you! If Drake and Dami kill each other then it will save you the trouble of killing them yourself!

No Autumn! Don't kill them!

Autumn, just leave them. It's not like they'll do any harm to each other.

Autumn! Alfred told you to go get them for breakfast!

No Autumn! Just leave 'em! They don't care about ya, so why should you care about 'em? It ain't your concern if they hurt each other!

Oh, God. Shut up different sides of me.

I turn around. "Guys, breakfast. Now." They stop in midair and they stare at me.

"You two are acting like children. Fighting over whatever you're fighting over. Alfred wants both of you to go upstairs and take breakfast. Now."

They stand up. "Why should we listen to you? Cross?"

I roll my eyes. "Whatever. Then don't listen to me. But I'm here to tell you that Alfred wants both of you upstairs and eating breakfast. Now."

I turn around and walk out of the sparring room and to the entrance and up the stairs. Into the manor and walking out of the study. I notice the distant footsteps behind me.

I walk into the kitchen, then to the dining room.

**Dick's POV**

A hero. That's who he was. A friend.

I stand in front of his grave, right beside Artemis. We both just stare at his name. His grave is right here. But we buried an empty coffin.

I look down and frown. It's a nice day, just like the day that we buried...Jason. Five years ago.

Last year...Wally sacrificed his life for the world. Everyone on earth got to live another day. But Wally had to give his life up for everyone else.

He was really talkative, and annoying, loud, but kinda funny, he was annoyed whenever I would mess up the english language, and he loved food. I wonder how his last meal was. I hope he enjoyed it...because no one knew that it would have been his last one.

But what if...he were still out there? What if he could still be breathing and running somewhere?

There was no body…

And in the world that I live in, no one's really dead unless a body was found. Even if you watched that person fall to their doom. Maybe after months...he could still be alive.

I mean...my brother. He literally came back from the dead…

Batman has an actual son…

And now our enemy is living under our roof…

All those things are impossible...maybe the universe can bring back my best friend too…

Suddenly I get a call...I look at my phone and I let out a small smile.

****Break****

**Tim's POV**

"Daaaad!" I walk out the dining room and look for Bruce. "Daaaaad!" I yell, holding my broken trophy.

"Shut up Drake!" Damian runs after me and I break into a quick sprint rushing up the stairs and into Bruce's study.

"Daaaad!" I rush in through the door and find Dad working on some papers in the dark. He looks up at the two of us.

"Shut up Drake!" Damian says, nearly tackling me. But I move out of his way. He jumps up and tackles me to the ground, making my broken trophy roll on the floor.

We roll on the ground, I try to punch him and he tries to kick me. I grunt when he hits my chest. He bites his lips when I punch his chin.

"Enough!" Bruce stands up and we stop in mid air. (The second time we stopped in mid air today). "Get up. Now."

We stand up and face Dad with slightly wide eyes.

I hear footsteps behind me. "Woah. Never mind. I'll talk to you later Dad." I don't need to turn my head to know that Chris was about to walk in. But she walks out. "Whew..." I hear her sigh as she walks away from this room.

Bruce rubs his head. "It's not even twelve yet and I already have two fights on my hands."

"Two fights?"

"That's not important now." He looks at both of us. "What's important is the reason why you two are fighting."

I bend down and take my broken trophy that rolled on the floor. "Damian broke it!" I look at Damian and point at him.

"Tt.' Damian frowns in that 'Father will favor me because I'm his real son' kind of way.

"It is just a stupid trophy!"

"No it isn't! I worked hard for this last year! During the science fair!"

"See, there we have it. The weak but smart ass Drake! What can you do? You're just a detective! That's it! You're a weakling! You can't do anything but observe your surroundings and you can't do anything about it!"

"Stop!"

"Why is that trophy even important to you!?"

"Because I worked really hard for it!" Actually...it was to make Bruce proud.

"That's all your good at! Winning unimportant science fairs! And observing bugs! Isn't that why you won the fair! Because you did some sort of experiment with bugs! Well guess what Drake, you are one!"

"Stop it. Now." Bruce yells and we turn to him.

"That's enough! Damian! Don't say that to Tim. He is your brother! Whether you like it or not! You cannot change that! Tim worked hard to get that trophy! Now I want you to say sorry and help him fix it."

"Tim." He turns to me. "Apologize to Damian. You two shouldn't be fighting. You're brothers!"

"Brothers don't steal things from each other! They don't break each others things on purpose!"

"What? You still mad about not being good enough to be Robin! I didn't steal the mantle! It's been mine all along! You only forced Bruce to make you Robin that's why you became Robin!"

"You may be Dad's blood son! But you're not his real son! I don't see why Dad would ever be proud of you! You're just too arrogant and rash!" I yell letting a few tears drop.

"You let your real father die! You're just going to fail Father! That's why he replaced you with me!" Damian screams back.

"You're not even supposed to be Robin! You're just gonna end up like Jason! Dead!" I yell.

"ENOUGH!" Bruce yells with so much force. We stop and I wipe my eyes with the back of my wrist.

"Both of you! Stop! None of those things are true!"

He walks to us and holds our shoulders. "None of that is true. I don't know why any of you would think that. But that's not true. I never meant to replace anyone. And I'm proud of you. Both of you." He says and we both look up at him with teary eyes.

"I'm proud of all of my children. None of you made any mistakes, none of you failed. I'm proud of you both. Remember that." I look up at Dad.

"I love you two. You're both my sons. By blood or not. You understand?" He hugs us both.

Then he lets go and looks at both of us and kneels down. "Now apologize to each other. For lying." I look at The Demon. "I'm sorry." I mumble.

Damian furrows his eyebrows. "Fine. Drake. Apology accepted." Then he looks at me. "But never breath a word about this to anyone." He scowls with those wet eyes of his.

**Chris' POV**

Ahhh...the smell of freshly microwaved popcorn. My comfort food.

I was able to delay my talk with Bruce, thanks to my annoying brothers. So I decided to make a bag of popcorn and watch some tv and text people.

I empty the popcorn into a bowl and head to the tv room. What time is it? I look at the clock. 11:32. Aw, nothing I like is on...everything is on in the evening. Might as well binge watch The Big Bang Theory.

I'm so glad I forced Dad into buying all of the seasons on DVD.

I put season 5 into the DVD player (I picked it at random) and pick a random episode. As it starts loading I check my phone.

Laurel: "I'm bored."

I reply. "Sucks for you."

I stuff a handful of popcorn into my mouth.

I look back up at the screen.

Oh Raj, you're so stupid...

I look back down at my phone. Now she's just sending me a bunch of Spongebob memes.

Next person!

Oh wait, all of a sudden I'm not in the mood to text people. So I'm gonna act like a normal person and eat popcorn while watching a hilarious episode of The Big Bang Theory.

"HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA OH SHELDON!" I love it when he makes innuendos without even realizing it.

"Miss Christine, you are dropping popcorn everywhere. Pick it up or I will turn off the television." I didn't even notice Alfred come in.

"Yes, Alfred." I pick up the tiny pieces I dropped onto the carpet and throw them into the trash can next to the couch."

When he leaves, I turn my attention back to the tv.

I was gonna binge watch, but by the time the episode ended, I had already finished my popcorn. I guess I could make another bag. I just hope Alfred doesn't catch me. Apparently I eat too much popcorn...

Well I'm sorry if it's my comfort food and it makes me happy cause it's very delicious!

I walk out of the room and as soon as I open the door to the kitchen, I hear a loud, booming noise coming from the study. Dad's yelling again...wonder what's happened this time.

He's probably gonna start yelling again when it's my turn...

I wash my bowl. I'm no longer in the mood to eat anymore popcorn. Might as well just go and wait for my turn...

I head in the direction of the study and bump into Tim and Damian on the way there. Damian has a grim expression on and Tim looks like he was just on the brink of tears. Yikes, what happened in there?

I slowly approach the open door to the study.

"Dad?" I knock on the door and peep my head in. He's sitting at his desk, his hand on his forehead and his elbow on the desk.

"Well if you don't wanna talk to me today because you've had enough arguments I can just go."

"No. Chris. Come here."

Shoot. So close.

I slowly walk over to Bruce's large desk and take a seat.

He takes a deep breath. "What happened this morning? Why did you suddenly lash out at Autumn like that?"

I stare into his blue eyes. I have to maintain eye contact, but it's hard.

"I can't stand her." I don't move. I just keep staring. I try not to portray any emotion in my voice, like I've practiced so many times before.

"Did you even try to accept her into the family?"

"No. I already know that there's no use trying."

"Yes there is. Autumn's going to be living with us from now on, and that means she's part of the family. You have to accept that. I won't be able to tolerate you insulting and picking fights with Autumn."

"I can't." I say that a little harshly. "Autumn will _never _be a part of this family. She'll never be part of _any _family. She doesn't even know the meaning of the word. I meant every single thing I said to her."

"And she meant every single word she said back to you. Didn't you hear what she said? She doesn't want to break this family. She's trying to help us by shutting herself out."

"Have you ever considered the fact that maybe she's lying? Maybe she doesn't wanna break this family, because this family is already broken. On the outside, we all seem happy and whatnot, but we all have our problems. All Autumn's done is break us even more than we've already broken ourselves."

A pause. The tension in the room is uncomfortable.

"Which is why I'm trying to fix this family up."

"How? By bringing that monster into the family?!" I'm losing my temper.

"She is not a monster. Don't call your sister a monster." His voice hardens.

"She's not my sister! She's Jason's sister, and no one else's! She'll never be my sister!"

"She is your sister. The moment I took her in, she became your sister. She became Dick's, Tim's, and Damian's sister, too. She became my daughter, even though I don't treat her like one. Autumn is in this family now. I don't want to hear you talk about her not being part of this family ever again. Understand." He glares at me as my brain processes what he just said.

"Fine." I look down at my hands, which are trying not to swing up and hit something.

"Good." Bruce leans back in his chair.

Instead of leaving, I just sit there, staring at my hands, grinding my teeth, trying not to yell at Bruce.

Why doesn't he see it? He knows that none of us will accept her into this family. We made that point pretty clear.

What the hell is wrong with him? Sometimes Bruce just annoys the crap out of me.

I look up at Bruce. He's just staring at me. I'd better go.

I quickly stand up, and I feel a pain in my side. Almost forgot about that... My hand flies to my side as I turn to leave.

"You okay?"

"Wonderful." Hmph. Like he cares.

"One more thing. You lied."

I stop mid step and turn my head so that I can see him in the corner of my eye. "About what?"

"After you went after Phoenix on your own, Tim asked you if she said anything to you and you said no. But this morning, you said something that she told you that night. Why did you lie to us?"

"Because I'm not the person you think I am." And with that, I leave the study and my father behind me.

****Break****

**Jason's POV**

I'm walking down the road and holding my arm. So I'm gonna go home with a bleeding arm from that Roy guy. Speaking of which I need to ask The Replacement about him. He looks really familiar.

But how will I explain this to Alfred? 'Hey Al! I kinda got an injured arm cause some douche found out that I was dead so he went after me and put me in pink foam but I ran and got a deep scratch on my arm from the expanding foam. So can you please patch me up?' Yeah he'll believe me.

Bruce will probably think that I tried to kill a bunch of thugs. Then he'll ask me where I went to. Then he'll not believe me.

I could go to Leslie's because her clinic's not too far. But she could tell Bruce.

I need to get this deep cut patched up. Stupid hard foam. I never even knew pink foam could cut someone.

Then a girl walks up to me. "Chloe?" She has a tiny smile on her face.

She looks at my arm. "Come. My mommy can help you!" She says happily.

She holds my sleeve and pulls me towards the clinic. Oh yeah, Eliza. She could help.

We enter the clinic. "Mommy!" Eliza pops out of nowhere with a look of shock on her face.

"Oh my gosh! Jason! We need to patch that wound up!" Women...being so...womanly…

She drags me to one of the cots, she cuts the sleeve with a pair of scissors and immediately cleans my wound.

"That's quite deep." She says, dabbing the wound with cotton. "How did you get it?" She doesn't take her eyes off of the wound.

"Foam."

"Huh?"

"Hard foam. Shatters like glass."

"Oh. Why do you always get into trouble so much?"

"This is Gotham. Who doesn't."

She hums at my point. "But still. It's best you be careful. So that I wouldn't have to patch you up everytime."

She applies burning medicine to my wound. I hiss as I look at it. "Sorry."

"It's okay. I've gone through worse."

She stays silent. "How did your daughter find me?" I look at the little kid with short hair sitting on one of the chairs.

"What do you mean?" She starts stitching the wound up.

"She just bumped into me and then she brought me here. You let her go wander around the streets?"

"No. That is why I am going to scold her when I'm done."

"So she just leaves the house without our permission?"

"That's why I have to keep the doors locked at all times." She wraps my arm in bandages.

"So how is your sister?" She asks, standing up.

"She's...uh...honestly...I don't know…" I get off of the cot.

"I see. She's a good person. Your parents taught both of you well." She smiles warmly at me.

"Yeah. Our parents must have…"

**Dick's POV**

I stare at her as she watches the sun setting. Her red curly hair flying as the wind blows, her eyes reflecting the sunlight, her gentle breathing stronger than the waves of the sea. For once, the water in the docks here in Gotham looks clean and beautiful.

That's what Barbara does to me and my day. Whenever she's around, she always makes the day lighter, all the tension can just fly up in the sky and disappear, being with her makes me forget all my pain and sadness.

Well, most of it…

I sigh and look down. "What's wrong?" She asks, running her hand down my arm.

"I was at Wally's grave earlier...Artemis was there too."

"Dick...I know what it's like to lose someone close to you...but...you have to stay strong." I look at her, her eyes glistening as her smile warms up my chest.

"For your dad...for your brothers...and your sister."

I sigh. "I know Babs...but Wally...he's my friend."

"Dick." She gives me that look that says 'let's not talk about this now.'

I smile.

I touch her face and she leans on my touch. "So how's it going in the manor? I haven't visited in a long time." She asks, holding my hand and bringing it on the floor.

I look at the sea. "I don't know Babs. There's always tension. Yelling. It's weird...Jason hasn't said a word about much. Maybe I was wrong Babs...Jason's changed. Red Hood or not. He's changed."

"Dying and coming back will do that to a person."

I sigh and look down at the wood. "I wish...I wish I was the one who died in that explosion instead of Jason. Then he wouldn't be feeling any pain right now." She takes my jaw and makes my face turn to her.

"Don't say that Dick. There are things that were meant to be. Things that we can't change no matter what. That's just the way the past goes. It won't be changed. That's why you focus on the present. Don't look behind you, Dick. Look at what's in front of you. Jason's back now, you and Bruce aren't fighting anymore, plus you have a new addition to the family."

"She's not family." I look back at the sun.

"Dick. Look at me." I turn my head to her. "Stop. Looking. Behind. You. It won't get you anywhere. No one wants to walk backwards. Just move forward. At least forward will get you somewhere."

I look down. She holds my chin, she leans in and her lips touch mine. Her lips loft and gentle. She wraps her arms around my neck and I hold her hips as she sits.

I close my eyes and live in the moment. Slowly, gently, she pulls away. I open my eyes. Her soft and shining eyes meet mine. She smiles with her pearly whites.

"I love you Bird Brain." She smiles, touching my nape, sending chills up my spine. I smile back at her.

"I love you too."

**Autumn's POV**

"Excuse me! Sorry!" I skate and maneuver around the crowds of people.

"Hey!" They all yell back.

I wanted to talk to my friends, I have a story to tell them! It's really awesome and funny! I read it online...hehe.

I swipe my foot on the ground and push me and my board towards the direction I wanna go. I turn left, down an alley and just keep going. Hoping not to run into any thugs. The alley is dark compared to the other streets, but there's still a little sunlight that can light my way even as the sun is about to set.

But that's when I feel something heavy bump into me. My board slides forward and I fall backwards. I rub my head as I sit on the dirty ground.

"Hey watch where you're going!" I bark as I blink my eyes and stare at the person who bumped into me.

He's right in front of me, sitting on the ground, rubbing his head. "So I have to be the one to watch where I'm going? You're the one who wasn't looking so you bumped into me!" He looks at me.

His hair is jet black, facing up and kinda spiky but sorta short and disheveled, he's got a bit of reddish highlights at the front of his hair.

"Why don't you watch where you're going you klutz!" He scowls, starting to get up. He's a bit taller than me, maybe two inches taller. He has kinda dark olive skin, stormy gray eyes and jet black straight eyebrows that makes him look constantly pissed off.

"Oh so, I'm the klutz!? I was just here skating down the alley and then you just happened to show up out of no where!?" I bark back, starting to get up. I hiss once the pain in my ankle shoots up my leg.

I look at him. He's wearing a dark blue polo coat with his rolled up sleeves and a light blue shirt inside. He's got denim jeans and a black piercing on his right ear. He bends down to pick up his shades.

I limp towards my board. "Dammit!" I look at him, ignoring my ankle. "Ughhh! Look what you did to my board!" I spit and he looks at me. "You scratched it!"

"So? It's just a scratch!"

"Yeah but it's new!"

He rolls his eyes. "I don't have time for this. I have somewhere to go to." He turns around.

"Damn you!" I bark. I look down at the board. But then I fall on the ground. "S***!" Stupid ankle.

I hold my ankle and I start hissing.

"That douche." I mumble.

"Yeah, cause a douche like me would come back." I look up.

"Why are you still here? I thought you had somewhere to go to?" He holds the back of his head. "Yeah well, if I left you here you wouldn't be able to get up. And well, my conscience won't be clear if I left you here" He bends down and outstretches his tan hand.

I scowl and slap his hand away from me. "I can handle it myself."

"I'm already helping you, and that's how you're gonna act?"

"You're the cause of this in the first place!" I bark.

"That's why I'm gonna help you!"

"Ughh! I don't even know who you are! Why should I let you help me? You could be a kidnapper for all I know!"

"Yeah, cause a thirteen year old like me can kidnap an annoying and feisty girl like you. Really makes sense."

"Hey it could happen!"

"Yeah, keep dreaming." I glare at him and he smirks and looks to the left showing off the shape of his jawline then back at me still with that annoyed smile.

He keeps his hand outstretched.

"I can get up on my own!" I start to push myself up and slowly stand up. "See I didn't need your help!" His eyes suddenly widen as I lean on the wall.

I hear a banging of trash cans and some yelling.

"Oh crap."

At the end of the alley, there's two thugs taking a turn and pointing at us. "There he is!" They start running towards us, swinging their guns around.

He grabs my hand and starts pulling me away from the wall. He runs, dragging me along with him.

"Holy crap! Where are we going!" I look back and the thugs are pointing their guns at us.

"She's with him!"

"Hell no! I'm being kidnapped!" I yell.

He pulls me, and turns left towards where I came from. My board…

He keeps on dragging me along with him. The thugs start to shoot at us. I see the bullet that's about to hit him on the head.

I grab his collar and pull him to the right, behind a wall.

We stop and pant as we stick our backs to the wall. I look to my left to peek and still see the thugs walking this way. They're using their guns to shoot at us.

I can't show off my skills without my uniform. So we have to run.

I turn my head to the right where he's panting already. "There." There's a huge locked screen gate blocking our way, but we can jump over it.

"Let's go."

I run towards the screen gate and climb it, then I jump. I grind my teeth feeling the pain in my right ankle.

I look up and he's already jumped down. "Let's go!"

"Wow, you sure can move." He says, standing beside me.

I glance behind us and see the thugs running towards us. I grab his hand and run. "Faster!" I yell, still ignoring the pain in my ankle.

We turn left down another alley. "Wait!" He pulls me back and we stop. "A bike!" There's a pink motorcycle parked at the corner.

My shoulders drop. "Really?"

"You wanna die?" Maybe...but let's not answer that question.

He runs to the bike and starts to hot wire it. "Gah, it's not working."

I shove him away. "Give me that." I take the two wires and hot wire it correctly.

"Oh, I'm driving."

"It doesn't matter! Let's go!" He hops on and I get on right behind him.

He revs up the engine and we start moving with a roaring noise. "Hey!" I look up at the apartment building window, where a man is sticking his head out the window and scowling at us.

I smirk and salute to him before I turn to hold onto this guy that I don't even know.

I tense when I hear gunshots behind us. I look behind us and sure enough the thugs are right there, behind us. In a car.

"Faster!" I tug at his polo.

"This is as fast as this bike can get!"

I turn my head back to the car. I glare at the wheels, and slowly the wheels burn and hot rubber melting fills my nose.

I do the same with the guns. Then I hear some yelling.

I turn back towards the road with no concern about what's gonna happen to them. As we get further and further from the screeching and yelling, I can feel a cold sensation return to my heart.

"I know a shortcut to get out of here." He says.

"Name?" I demand.

"R." He says.

"R? What kind of a name is 'R'?"

"You wanted my name and so I gave it to you. Now, what's yours?"

I look forward. "Autumn." I answer.

****Break****

I sit on the back of the bike as R looks for signal on his phone.

The sun has set and we're stuck here in an empty road, near a cemetery. There are no lights at all, no people (unless you count the dead ones buried and the two of us). The grass of the cemetery is tall and wet and there are a few trees by the edge of the road. I may know Gotham pretty well, studied its nooks and crannies.

But I've never seen this place before.

"I thought you said this was a short cut?" I spit.

He just continues to look for signal, raising his Nokia up in the air. "You said this was a shortcut, but it's like we just got further away!"

"It's already dark out, the bike's out of gas, there's no one around and we're near a cemetery! I don't know this place and the worst part is, it smells like death!"

He turns around. "Are you sure that isn't just you?"

I furrow my eyebrows and breathe.

"Can you shut up! I'm looking for signal and trying my best to find a way back! But all your doing is sitting there and complaining!"

"God." I throw my head backwards and look at the sky, then back at him. "Well excuse me! My ankle is swelling! All because you weren't looking from where you were going and running from those guys! Who were they anyways?"

"Er...my ex-girlfriend's brothers, they got mad at me. That's why."

Guys these days. Into so many girlfriends at such a young age, and into lying way too much. I roll my eyes. "Whatever."

I roll the sleeves of my jacket up. He smirks at me, looking to the left, then back at me. "Why not just take off your jacket cause it's so warm?"

"Nah, I want my jacket on."

"Okay, whatever." He looks back at his phone, searching for signal.

I get off the bike ignoring the pain and I limp forward, ignoring his glance. "Hey where are you going? You're foot's going to swell!"

"So?" I just continue limping. "It's your fault!" I clench my jaw.

"Wait!" I stop and turn to him. Still ignoring my ankle.

"Why should I?"

"We should get some help first. We don't even know where we are!" He says looking for signal on his phone right beside me.

I roll my eyes and cross my arms. "You should just sit back on the bike and let me do this! We've been here for two hours now!"

"God, don't be so impatient!"

"Oh, so you call yourself the most patient person in the world?"

"That's not my point!" He rolls his eyes and turns his back on me, looking for signal.

It's silent for a while, and all I can hear is the sound of the loud chirping of the crickets. I clench my jaw and turn to my left looking at the graves as the wind carefully blows into my ears. We both stand under this tree.

Then a small bright light appears right in between my eyes. It starts to fly away from me and to R's ear.

I walk towards it and start clapping my hands around it, trying to catch it. I move around trying to catch it. I turn around in my place trying to catch it.

He turns to me, pocketing his phone as I move around to catch it in my spot. As I swing my hand to try and kill it, he holds my wrist. "Hey." he just holds my wrist.

I stare at him and he stares at me with tough looks on both our eyes. He looks at my wrist after that short I pull my hand away from him.

I start looking around. Fireflies start to surround us, the trees spitting out these lights.

I furrow my eyebrows at the bugs. "Don't kill it." He says, putting his hand in his pocket.

I smile and look around.

"Looks like they multiplied...it's so bright." I smile, still looking around. They look like stars flying in midair.

"I never knew that fireflies still exist here in Gotham." I move back slowly enlightened by the lights flying around.

My back gently touches his. We turn around looking at each other with annoyed looks. He stares at me for two seconds and I give him a disgusted look in exchange. I quickly look back at the fireflies.

"Someone used to tell me...you can wish on a firefly if you catch it."

"So did you wish?" He asks.

"Yeah...but my wish never came true." I turn my back and look around.

Ah, mom...good old mom. She taught me a lot of things. I smile at the memory then look at R again.

He's holding something in his palms and squeezing his hands tight and closing his eyes tightly and whispering.

I smirk. He's just whispering and I just try to hide my laugh.

Then he lets the firefly go in front of my face. He puts his hands in his pocket and stares at the fireflies.

"What did you wish for?"

He looks away from me and smiles. "I wished...that my life will change. That the lives of my mom, my dad, my sister. I wish that our lives will get better." He stares at the sky smiling.

I chuckle and look at the floor. "Seriously? I already told you that I didn't get what I wished for. Then here you go, still wishing?" I smirk and he looks at me. I mock him by copying what he did earlier.

"Hey! You believe what you wanna believe, and I believe my stuff."

I look at him and smirk. "You know. You can't get anything without a little hard work." He rolls his eyes at me.

I start moving forward. "C'mon lets go! Hurry up!" Then I trip. Great.

"Dammit!" I stare at my ankle and hiss.

He walks towards me. "See it's swelling already!" He says, bending down.

"Yeah! This is your fault!" He stares down at me first.

"Come on." He bends down and starts to pick me up. I try to scoot away from him.

"No! Don't! Don't touch me! Go! Go away! I can get up!"

"I know you can. But if you do, your foot will start swelling up even more!" I try to get up, but my foot doesn't want to cooperate!

"Gah!" He bends down again.

"Don't I said!" I try to elbow him, but he picks me up.

I stare at his hard face and he stares into my eyes. "Why are you looking at me like that?" I look away. "You think I'm hot, don't you?"

"What the- HELL NO!"

I try to push him and get out of his grasp. "Let me go! Let me go! Let me go!" He just holds onto me. "Yuck! Yuck! Yuck!" I yell.

"You know. You're really light." I just keep on struggling. I reach up for his neck and I start to mess up his hair and yell, but he doesn't let go, he only smirks.

"Let's go!" He says, smirking and facing forward, walking while carrying me as I struggle and continue to mess his hair up.

**A/N: BTW credits to the movie Warm Bodies for R's name (that's not his real name). If you don't know that movie then no problem. But still, you have no life if you don't know that movie!**


	27. Moments to Remember

**Chapter 27: Moments to Remember**

**Autumn's POV**

I climb up the wall and pull myself up the window and fall into my room.

I look at my ankle. It's throbbing, and it hurts. But there's a pack of ice that R bought tied to my ankle with a piece of cloth.

I miss my board. It's okay...I can save up for a new one. But still, that board was legit!

I lean on the wall, below the window, and stare at my leg.

I shrug one shoulder and lean on the wall, letting my head fall to my shoulder.

I close my eyes.

"_We found the headquarters, Counselors." _

_"But how the hell are we going to infiltrate it?!"_

_"We can't send everyone, we'll lose our entire army!"Another counselors argued _

_"We need to send just one person"_

_"But what stupid kid would go on a suicide mission like that?!"_

_I burst through the doors "I would" I said firmly "they can recruit me, I can be a spy, they've never seen my face and I can always change my name" _

_"You're not supposed to be here, get out!"_

_"Listen! I'm just a kid, but I am a powerful meta plus I am an expert who wouldn't want that person on their side? Plan's simple, I get in there, gain their trust, don't get compromised, find out where their other bases are on earth then blow up the damn place and their stupid leader!" _

_"You wouldn't be able to get outta this alive kid" _

_"Uh, duh" I said casually._

One councillor shook her head. The councillor known for compassion and understanding.

"We cannot send you in alone. We are giving you a team of at least ten people."

"I'm sorry Councillor Clarisse, but that will risk it." I said respectfully.

"Then seven, at the very least." She nodded. "I will not let a child go in there alone."

I nodded. "Fine." One of the five councillors said.

"Who?"

"Only the best commanders."

"Captain." One turned to look at the tall man who gave the news.

"I want Commanders Mason, Logan, Lucas, Daniel, Aiden, Evelyn and Captain Avery on this mission. Get the supplies ready." FIve guys, three girls. Including me.

"Yes. Councillor." He left after bowing all the way down, running down the hallway.

"Go get ready. Commander." I nodded and bowed. I turned and left to walk to my room.

I started packing some of my stuff, I had to bring a light load, just clothes and weapons.

I couldn't bring any sentimental stuff like pictures, they would've burned in any explosion. All I brought was my necklace.

"Autumn." I turned around to see Jake standing by my door. "I heard, you're going on a mission to destroy the axium."

"Yeah." I zipped my bag and threw it over my shoulder.

He sighed. "Autumn...I know this is an important mission. I would go with you if I was in a higher rank...but Autumn...don't go."

"Why not." I started walking towards the door but he blocked it with his arm.

"I already lost my sister." I tensed slightly. "What about my best friend?" He sighed. "I shouldn't stop you. The first time you came here, the first time we met. You seemed determined to end the war. Now, here's your chance. But no one expects any of you to come back from this mission…not even I do. So I guess..." He held out his hand for me to shake in a sad motion. "This is goodbye."

I let a small smirk tug at the edge of my lips. I move his hand down and swing my arms over his shoulder. "I'm not very good at 'goodbyes.' So, can I just say...see you in the morning?" I let go and smiled with a tiny tear drop running down my cheek.

I let out a sniffle and wiped the tear. Jake was my first best friend in my entire life. And he became the last.

"Okay…" He smiled sadly. "I'll see you in the morning."

I pat his shoulder. "There's nothing to be worried about Jake. I'll be back. Don't worry!"

"Commander Cross! Let's go!" The door behind me closed. I walked away from Jake, leaving him hanging.

I climbed up the ship taking one last glance at the cheering people behind me and at the sad face of Jake.

I entered the ship alongside my acquaintances. Or my teammates. Captain Avery started the engine.

The entire team sat on the bridge with grim faces.

Commander Logan. Known for his tech and stealth skills. Great with any kind of knives. Can turn camouflage. (Hehe like a chameleon.)

Height: 5'6

Weight: 180 lbs.

Age: 27

Rank: Commander, Captain

Commander Mason. Tough one. Can hold a sword. Amazing sword fighting partner. Super strength as in break through metal doors kind of super strength. (Like Superman! Eww, heroes.)

Height: 5'8"

Weight: 200 pounds

Rank: Commander, and a trainer for the newbies.

Commander Lucas. Able to adapt the enemy's fighting skills.

Height: 5'4"

Weight: 123

Age: 16

Rank: Commander, trainer

Those were only a few of these skilled and greatly trained people.

They were seated on the seats of the military plane.

Commander Mason glared at me as I stood holding onto the bars near the door.

"So, Cross, what's the plan. This was your idea."

I looked out the open door, the strong wind yelled for us to turn around.

I nodded and kept a straight face. "Once we get to one of their bases, we jump off. We come in stealth mode and make ourselves fit in. That's when we can show our faces. Logan." I looked at him.

"Hack into the system, we need our own clean slates." He nodded and jumped to get his laptop. "We're in as newbies."

I watched Commander Logan type rapidly. "Commander Cross. I've made us our own profiles. We're still in training. They know we're coming in as newbies. They'll be showing us around. Once we get in."

"Alright. Then new plan. Walk in through the doors, causally. As if we really are newbies. Logan. Download all the files you can get from the training base."

He nodded. "Already have. Commander." I nod.

"Avery. Land the ship from afar. Follow us in the base. We'll tell them that you're with us."

"Yes. Commander."

"All of you. Be tough. We need to work to get to the top. Don't know how long this will take. But we need to get to the axis and attack it from the inside out."

I looked at the rest of the team, who are silently glaring at the floor as the plane rocked.

"LIsten up." They all looked up. "I was positioned commander for this mission. I know, by now, that none of you think that I'm just a kid. None of you think that I have some kind of soft spot when I'm on missions." I glanced at Mason. "Because really. I don't. I'm not warm like Evelyn over there."

"So by now. You all know I 'aint gonna give one hell of a pep talk. We're soldiers, in a war. We can't cry, we all have to be tough, if anyone here is soft. Then you better jump off now!" I looked at their determined faces.

"I'm not gonna lie to any of you. We're not coming back alive. You all know that. So if you have any loved ones. There's no turning back now so I suggest you forget about them. But if you can't." I looked at all of them with a determined expression.

"Then I hope you all got to say your goodbyes." They nodded. I stared into their eyes coldly.

After hours and hours of waiting with tense air. We jumped off the plane and landed right in front of the guards of the base. They pinned their guns at us. We raised our arms above our heads.

A general came to us and told us to come in. Captain Avery followed shortly behind us.

After...don't know how long. We had to be confined to that base with no contact of the outside world. The first time we came out of that base was to be moved to the specialist base on a war van.

The new base was hard to live in. But we were tough. After showing The Unknown all our skills, telling them our fake stories. Little by little we gained the trust of the trainees, then the generals. Then we ended up on the axium.

All our things that we brought were burned to the ground right in front of our faces (Thank God none of my sentimental stuff was on that thing). None of us even flinched when we watched the things burn so that we could finally get on the axium.

We walked in the rocket and strapped on our seat belts wearing the really tight black kevlar.

Before the rocket launched I took a glance at Aiden. A tough but skinny teen. His face was tough and determined. He glared at nothing. But I saw a little tear drip down his chin. Poor guy.

I turned back to face forward.

The rocket rumbled and rocked for minutes. Then we launched. The only people that didn't hold on tightly onto the seat was Avery who was so used to ships rocking like this. And me, who enjoyed the ride and smiled.

Before landing on the Axium we took a glance of it. It hovered far above the poisonous atmosphere of Venus. From afar it looked like a hot giant asteroid.

We entered it.

It was full of metas, it was huge and bright. Our headquarters were like dark suits with a far view of Venus.

…

We spent months there. Working our way up.

But nobody really made it to the top but me.

Mason went on a mission that The Unknown leader gave him. He never came back.

I was there when Logan died. The two of us were on a carrier with a bunch of Unknown members. The ship had four propellers that made it fly. The propellers were at the bottom of the ship but still on the inside.

One of the propellers stopped. The Unknown commanded Logan to go fix it. Even if it was dangerous. Logan couldn't say no. I wanted to go instead but then The Unknown didn't want me to. They said that I was too young and that I didn't know anything about mechanics.

Logan and I talked through the com. I told him where he needed to go to reach the propellers and he followed my navigation skills as I looked through the blueprints of the ship.

It was silent at first. All I heard was the sounds of oil dropping and metal footsteps on the other side of the com.

Then I saw on the virtual blueprints that the propeller started moving. My eyes widened. "LOGAN GET OUT OF THERE NOW!"

"Cross?" The carrier started to move again and rumble. But by that time. My ears were filled by the screams of a friend. I listened to him as he died. My jaw dropped and I threw the com onto the floor and crushed it.

When we went back to the Axium, the ship was fine, but Evelyn, his girlfriend, and I had to be the ones to clean off the blood from propeller. Evelyn's sobs echoed through the ship as we cleaned the blood of Logan.

Lucas was shot on a mission. Daniel tried to carry his brother through the battle but they both ended up being shot more times than they should have been. I was there when Lucas flat lined on the Axium med bay.

I listened to Daniel's pained words as his life slowly faded. The last words he told me was…"Complete the mission." Then his soul flew where he belonged to.

I was on a mission with Evelyn and Avery when they died. Evelyn died in...an explosion trying to finish the mission. While Avery was killed by Eva. (Who I killed later on).

Aiden and I were the only ones left. But Aiden was caught and found as a traitor.

They tried to make him talk, they tortured him and murdered him slowly. They beat him. But he kept his mouth shut and he didn't say a word. Except one…"Cross." He said that before he passed out.

The Unknown quickly suspected me and the mission would have failed but...when The Unknown gave me a gun and brought me to the execution room. I thought I would end. But then they brought out a jacked up Aiden.

"Kill him. If you and he aren't working together as spies, then kill him." He looked at me as his arms were held. He looked at me with begging eyes.

But what I saw in his eyes...he wasn't begging for me to let him live...he was begging for me to end it.

I let out a small gasp of grief before I turned into a cold hearted member of The Unknown. Then I pulled the trigger...and he evaporated with the kind of gun I used…

A day didn't go by until the explosion when that thing that I did...didn't haunt me.

I open my eyes and rub my neck. Then my pants vibrate. I take out my Cherry Mobile, I open the text and I roll my eyes.

****Break****

**Chris' POV**

Sarah: "Dance tonight, you coming?"

Me: "Eh, I dunno. I'm antisocial, remember?"

Sarah: "Will you go if everyone else goes?"

Me: "I guess"

Sarah: "K, gimme a min."

What time is it? I look at my clock. It's 5:42. The dance starts at 7:00 and ends at like 10. If I go, I have to get a ride. Alfred has to stay home since Bruce is still stuck at work and Dick's out. Then I have to figure out what to wear...that might take some time. Not because I take forever to decide what to wear, even though that's partly true, but because I don't have that many "socializing" clothes that aren't for rich people events.

And of course, I have to get permission...I wonder how that's gonna go.

Knowing Sarah, she'll find a way to get me to go, so I might as well start looking through my clothes.

As I stare at my open closet, mentally shifting through my clothes, my phone beeps. I walk over to my bed, where my phone, now revealing my Sherlock wallpaper, is.

Sarah: "Matt and Luke are going. Laurel's going since those two and you are going."

Yup...she's making me go...

Sarah: "Tyler will only go if Tim goes, but Tim doesn't wanna go."

Oh thank you Tim!

Sarah: "So I struck him a deal, since you two don't do dances. For every dance that both of you go to, and both of you have to be there the entire time, you'll each get $100. If only one of you shows up, you don't get the money. So Tim agreed to go if you'll be there."

That line...I know he's only going for the money, but if that sentence was all alone...

Me: "Fine."

Tim's going...I also wanna go for the money, since my allowance won't be able to cover the amount of money I'll need to buy clothes for all these dances I have to attend now, plus clothes I need to buy since I'm outgrowing the clothes I have now.

Sarah: "Yes! You aren't going for the money, are you? Your dad's super rich...you're going for Tim ;)"

I haven't told anybody I like Tim, but I've been making it moderately obvious so that people don't start _not_ imagining us together.

Well Sarah's shipped us from the beginning, so that's different.

Me: "Whatever. I gotta figure out what to wear. See you in a bit."

Sarah: ";) k bye"

****Break****

After picking out a white, long-sleeved collared shirt with tiny black polka dots and a dark tealish skater skirt, I head downstairs to the kitchen, where Alfred is preparing dinner.

"Alfred, can I go to a dance at my school tonight?"

He looks up from his cutting board.

"I'm afraid that is up to Master Bruce to decide, not me."

Aw dang it.

"Ok I'll go call him." I say, portraying my obvious disappointment. I walk out of the kitchen.

I knew I would eventually have to ask Dad, but I was hoping that maybe I could avoid it.

_Don't make useless wishes..._

I know I shouldn't, since I know in the back of my head that they'll only give me dissatisfaction, but I guess making these wishes gives me a sense of hope.

And everyone needs a little hope.

I pull out my phone and reluctantly dial Dad's number.

"Hello?" Bruce's voice enters my ear.

"Hey Dad..."

"What is it? You either got in trouble or you want something."

Almost forgot that he knows what I'm thinking just by my tone of voice.

"Well there's a dance tonight at school and I was wondering if I could go..."

As soon as I say it, I regret it. I'm asking him to loosen his reins on me...again. After loosening the reins the first time got me shot.

A pause. He's deep in thought. I'm surprised he even has to think about this one. I was thinking that he'd immediately say no.

"Is Tim going?" My heart beats a little faster. He's a detective...of course he knows who I like. He's also my overprotective father, so he makes it his business to know.

"Ummm yea...all of my closest friends are going...why do you ask?" I think he heard the nervousness in my voice. I think my voice became slightly high pitched for a second...dammit I basically gave it away.

"I was talking about your brother."

Ohhhh. Yup he definitely heard it.

"Oh well this is a 7th and 8th grade dance. Tim's in high school."

"Okay. All of your friends are going? Then it should be fine. It's just a dance."

"Wait really? I can go?"

"Yes. Just don't do anything inappropriate, and you'd better be home by 10:30. Alfred can take you since I'm leaving work now. If anything happens, call me immediately."

"Okay thanks so much Daddy!" I run up the stairs and into my room, jumping excitedly the entire way.

"Will you still be able to go out later tonight?"

Oh yea. Forgot about that.

"I think so. If I'm too tired when I get home I won't go, but as of now I can go."

"Okay. I'll have Dick wait for you when you get back."

"Yay! I love you Daddy! See you later!"

"Okay. Have fun. Bye."

Yes! Usually I'm not excited for social events, but anything can be fun as long as I have my friends with me.

I look at my bedside digital clock. It's 6 o'clock! I have to leave in 25 minutes or else I'll be late!

Wait, that means I have to run back downstairs...

I loudly burst out of my room and nearly bump into Tim and Damian. I find it odd that even though those two get into the most fights, I usually find them together. Either just walking or actually fighting...probably just because of their ages.

"Where are you going?" Damian raises his eyebrow as he looks me up and down. "And why are you wearing different clothing?"

"There's a dance tonight. Obviously you don't know about it." I say, looking at his baggy jeans and slightly wrinkled tshirt with some weird picture on it.

"I don't like it. I demand you change immediately."

"Damian, I am not going to change just because I look more like a girl now." That's not exactly true. This is a skater skirt, collared long-sleeved shirts are kinda what boys wear, even though this is a girl version, and I'm not even wearing any makeup. My hair isn't even styled or curled or whatever. It's just down like it usually is.

"That's not the reason I want you to change. It's making Drake a little happy. It's annoying." He gestures to Tim, who's just staring at me, his cheeks a light shade of red. He blushes a lot.

"What?! I just think she looks nice, that's all. Have fun at your dance..."

I smirk.

"Well I'm in a hurry so I'll see you guys during patrol. Bye!" I slip between Damian and the wall and run downstairs and into the kitchen.

**Autumn's POV**

I glare at my watch. 6:00pm. It's time.

Hehe. R texted me earlier if we could meet up tonight at six.

After taking a quick shower (I feel sticky from chores), I throw on a black long-sleeved top, a gray shirt over my long sleeved top, some jeans, and a pair of black Converse.

I walk down the hallway, and as I get closer to the stairs, I hear loud voices, and shouting.

I keep walking and once I reach the beginning of the stairway, I find...Mr. Wayne, Grayson, and Jason yelling at each other, blocking my way downstairs.

"You can't keep me from doing what I want to! It's my choice!"

"I know Jason! But it may not be the wisest decision!"

"Why not? I can handle it!"

"No you can't! We're not even completely sure!" Grayson's voice rises.

"You can't decide for me! None of you can! "

"You moved in here Jason."

"So? That doesn't change anything! I can ditch the guns, the killing! But I need to get back in the game!"

"Why?!"

"Because!"

"Yo. Shut up." They all turn to me.

"Stay out of this." Jason glares in my direction. He's obviously pissed off.

"Whatever."I walk up to Grayson who's blocking my way. I push him out of the way, but not hard enough to make him fall down the stairs.

I start walking down. "But I'm just saying. It's pointless to fight. Fighting with each other is useless. It will get you nowhere." I say without turning around to look at them. I just keep walking.

I open the door and walk out of the manor.

I walk down the dark streets of Gotham. I walk past some drug addicts, and some smokers. They all glare at me as I walk past them.

"Help!" A woman yells. I don't need to turn my head to know that, in a dark alley, a woman is being raped. But I turn my head and look. A man's back is faced towards me.

I walk towards the man and tap his back. Before he turns to face me and yell, I punch his nose and he falls to the floor, with blood dripping down his nose. I clench my fists and glare down at the man. I turn to look at the lady.

She's holding herself and crying."Th-thankyou." She doesn't look up at me as she says this.

I turn around and walk down the sidewalk again. I just keep walking down the sidewalk and glare at anyone that glares at me.

I walk down the dark alley, stepping on wet puddles.

Then I hear soft voices, and I see a few boys surrounding R. I get closer and they all look at me before they get on their skateboards and leave.

"See ya, R."

"Bye." They pass by me as they skateboard out of the alley.

"What do you want? And how'd you get my number?" He only smirks at my questions and brings down his bag on the floor.

"What's that?"

He zips open the bag and pulls out an epic skateboard. The background is completely black with flames coming from every edge of the board, the fire has touches of icy blue lightning surrounding the bright red flames.

"Wow." I say quickly.

He holds the board up. "Cool huh?"

"Yeah, that's your board?" He just smiles at it.

"Yeah, I just bought it. Well, it _was_ my board."

"Was?"

"Yeah."

"What are you gonna do with it? You just bought it."

He looks at me. "I'm gonna give it to you." He smirks.

I cross my arms. "What's the catch?"

He leans on the wall, holding onto the board. He shakes his head. "No catch."

I let most of my upper body weight fall on one hip. "Really? Cause all my life, I've learned that there's always a catch."

"Not tonight. I'm just kinda guilty that I got your last board lost. So." He gestures to the new board. "I'm giving you a new one."

I smirk. "Really? No catch?" He ponders for a while.

"Actually…" He smirks.

****Break****

**Chris' POV**

The dance is almost over. I can finally go home soon! My feet are hurting like hell.

There's so many people and the music is so loud I can barely hear anyone.

Well at least we're having fun and acting silly.

The five of us are all together in an area with a bunch of my other classmates I'm kinda close to, just being weird and stupid and yelling the lyrics and watching other people do weird dances.

The song that I was playing ends and the DJ's voice comes on.

"Okay guys this is the last dance of the night. And it's a slow one."

The first few notes come on and I immediately know the song. Risk It All by The Vamps. I love this song!

Some of the boys leave the circle to find some random girl to dance with, leaving me, Tim, Laurel, Luke, Tyler, and Sarah in a group surrounded by people dancing. We're all just staring at each other and around the gym. Sarah's the one to break the awkwardness.

"Tim, Chris, I need to ask you guys something." She has a mischievous look in her eye. Uh oh.

Tim and I exchange glances and walk over to her. We become a mini circle. I look back and Laurel and Luke are dancing. That's not really anything special, those two are like cousins. They're probably only dancing because neither of them has danced with anybody this entire dance. Tyler's just standing next to them, hugging himself and dancing with himself. Haha. We all did that for most of the slow songs. The rest we ran to the bathroom...well Laurel and I. I don't know what Sarah did. Tim ended up dancing with a bunch of girls because of some girls going up to him and some of his friends (who are girls) making him dance with their friends.

No competition there, though. They're all just friends. I can see the look in Tim's eyes. Just earlier, he, Laurel, and I were walking to get snacks when one of those friends, who is a girl, grabbed him and said, "Dance with my friend!" and when he was with her, he looked at us, shrugged, sighed, and gave us the "I really don't know..." look. So we left him for the free food.

"You two gotta dance with each other." Sarah says, a smirk on her face.

"What? But why?" I ask her. I'm shocked...I hope I'm not blushing. Butterflies start flying in my stomach.

"Because if you don't you won't get the money." She's still smirking. I wanna wipe that smirk off her face right now.

"What? We don't have to dance with each other because we want the money!" Tim states.

"So you're saying you aren't gonna dance with Chris?" She's staring into Tim's eyes.

I look over at Tim. He's glaring back at her.

"Yes I will. Not because of some stupid bet, but because I want to. You can't make me do things because of money."

Because I want to...because I want to...

"Heh...fine. So do you still want the money?"

"Ugh. C'mon Chris." Tim grabs my wrist and drags me away from Sarah and the rest of the group to the corner of the dance floor. He's holding me! As he drags me away, I look at Sarah, who has a wide grin and a thumbs up. I roll my eyes in response, but I really hope I'm not blushing.

"Sorry for dragging you away like that."

"It's okay. I don't like the whole money thing anyway." I try to sound calm and normal, but it's hard.

"Well yea, you're dad's rich."

"Yea. That's why I didn't come for the money. I just thought it might be fun since everyone else decided to come." Lie.

"Yea same. So...are we gonna dance? I'm pretty sure Sarah's watching us somewhere in this crowd." I smirk. He smirks back.

"I bet she is. And yea...we'll dance. " I put my hands on his shoulders and he puts his on my waist. Together, we start swaying back and forth.

I'm really nervous...I hope it isn't obvious. Is he nervous? Probably not...it's not like he likes me anyway...

I let my mind get swept away with the music as I stare into Tim's brown eyes.

_I'd risk it all. I'd rather crash, I'd rather crawl._

_Than never have your love at all._

_With only bricks to break my fall._

_For you, I'd risk it all._

"So..."

"So..." I reply.

"Umm..."

"Is this kinda awkward for you?" I ask him.

"A little...since you're a close friend, but it's not a big deal." He gives me an...encouraging smile? I dunno...

I just shyly smile back.

We're quiet for a moment, and again I get lost into the song. I sigh.

"What are you thinking about?'

"Nothing really, just getting lost in the song." And whether or not you like me...BECAUSE THAT IS THE NUMBER ONE QUESTION ON MY MIND NOW.

"Ah ok. I don't know this song. Do you?"

"Yea. It's Risk it All by The Vamps."

"They kinda sound like One Direction."

"Well yea. They're both British boy bands. But I like The Vamps' songs better." This is why I'm not like those other girls who are way too shy or flirtatious with the guy they like. I know that it's possible for me to have an actual, normal, human conversation with him. And the fact that I'm so comfortable around him is usually what calms me down.

The song ends.

Immediately, Tim and I let go of each other.

"Well...this was actually fun." We just stare at each other.

"Yea...it was." I think that we're gonna go rejoin our friends, but he doesn't move, so I don't either. Then he speaks again.

"Is The Vamps your favorite band?"

"No."

"Then who is?"

"Probably Good Charlotte."

"Ah ok. Never heard of them."

I roll my eyes and smirk. "Of course you haven't." He smirks back.

"Let's go rejoin the group."

"Okay." I reply.

And together, side by side, we walk through the crowd of people, with super short skirts and inappropriate attire, in the direction of our friends.

**Autumn's POV**

We're just sitting on the curb of the road. I listen to the loud cars pass by as I hold my bottle of softdrink that's not even halfway gone yet. I'm not a huge fan of soft drinks. But this night was interesting so it was worth it.

R holds onto his bottle as he looks at the puddle of water in front of him. "What school do you go to?" He asks casually.

"Gotham Academy."

"Rich kid." He scoffs looking away from me.

"Not exactly...I'd consider myself, poor with the people I'm living with, how they treat me. And how much I hate them."

He looks at me with curiosity. "How do they treat you? Wait, you live with them. Aren't they family?"

"I would never consider them as family. They don't consider me as family."

"So how do they treat you?"

"Well, I've been through worse." They're nothing like Papa, he was abusive. They're nothing like those pedophiles on the streets who would pay a child just to have...pleasure. "Well, we hardly talk to each other. I prefer to be alone in my room and starve to death than eat dinner with them."

"Yikes." He puts on a sour face.

"You? Family issues?" I ask, brushing my fingers through my hair and pushing my bangs away from my face.

He looks down on his bottle, he sighs and shakes his head.

"Well, it's complicated." I cock my head. But I mentally smirk, not as complicated as my life...

"What do you mean?" Are they dead or something?

"Well, my older sister works day and night, she wasn't even able to finish grade 10 when she had to start working to send me to school."

I scoff. "I don't know much about dads, but I'm pretty sure that that's the dad's job to send their kids to school."

"My dad's a lazy ass. He's a drunkie. He doesn't do anything all day but finish bottles of beer and order me around to do things that he's too lazy to do."

"What about your mom?"

"She's...mute and deaf now..." He looks at the ground.

"Oh." My eyes drop.

"I hardly understand a word she says." He furrows his eyebrows.

"Is she mute from birth?"

"Yeah. I can never understand her! She just moves her hands around or grumble things I can't get, whenever she talks to me! She doesn't know anything! She doesn't know how to read, cook, write! She can't do whatever a real mom can actually do!" He sounds like he doesn't want her around anymore.

"We don't have any money to get her a teacher. We don't have enough money to buy her medicines!" Nah, he cares about his mother. He just doesn't know it.

"Why does she need medicine?" I ask, furrowing my eyebrows.

"She's sick! She has Lymphoma…we only found out two months ago. The doctor says, she needs therapy. But we hardly have enough money for two sessions! My mom's mute, she's deaf, she's sick. She's gonna die!" His voice rises in slight anger.

"She just sits there doing nothing. Dad became a heavy drinker since a long time ago. My sister had to work just for the food and to pay the bills." He balls his hand into a fist.

"What about you?" I look at his face.

"Me? Well, I do whatever I can to help my sister out."

"Your school?" I look at his short hair.

"I go to a public school. But I really don't want to go anymore."

"Why not?"

"Because, I need to help out at home. I need to help my sister to pay for the bills." I can see his other hand tightening around the neck of the bottle.

"By stealing from thugs? Yeah, that'll get you somewhere." I look away from him. "It'll get you to hell." I nod at nothing.

I can feel him shift. "What do you want me to do? Let my sister work her ass off day and night until she gives out and dies?"

"Listen." I stare at his eyes with a firm expression. "I never met your mom. She can't talk, she can't hear. But she can see you. Do you think your mom would want to see you like that?" He looks down at his drink. "Don't you think that she'd want you to go to school and maybe, just maybe have a successful life when you get older? Why do you think your sister pays for you to go to school? For you to be able to live. So that when you get older, you can have a better life than you do now."

He clenches his jaw. His expression turning grim. "I don't know where you're from, Autumn. But here in Gotham, no one ever succeeds in life." He nearly whispers.

I look at his bottle. I open then close my mouth. "They either end up dead, or as a criminal. I know." He looks at me with a questioned face.

"I know." I repeat quietly. "Gotham is my home. I've lived in it's very heart and soul. I never really had much hope in my life. But hey." I look at him with a small smile. "Your life is different from mine. You could still have hope. Go to school. Make your mom proud. Make her eyes smile. Make her proud. It may sound like you hate her for what she can't do right now. But you still need her, even if she can't do the things a normal mom can do. So make her proud. They say; a happy patient can get better."

He cranes forward to look into that same puddle on the ground. A car passes by and that loud noise of tires on the road enters my right ear and leaves the left ear.

"What about you? Who's your family?" He asks, not looking up at me.

I brush my fingers through my hair again and look the other way. I let out a heavy breath.

"I don't know…" I sigh. "I just moved in with these people. But...they kinda hate me."

"Run away." He advises.

"I wish. But...there are at least two people in that…'house' that might actually care about me. And one of those people...I made a promise...I wouldn't leave him…"

"So he's your brother?" He looks at me. "That person that you made a promise to. He's your brother, right?"

"Yeah. He is." I look down at the bubbly drink in the bottle. "He could possibly, maybe care about me. But...I already lost a brother once...I'm not gonna leave this one."

"Oh…"

"So...I'm stuck with his family. He belongs with them. But...I don't…" I can feel the heavy weight on my shoulder get even heavier...punching me into the cement. "I don't belong there...they're not my family...they can't be." I swallow that huge lump in my throat.

"But, you sound like...you want them to be family…"

I just look down. "Honestly...I really want a family. I'm...I'm jealous...I'm jealous of them...they're a family...maybe they're not exactly...the best...but they're a family. And...I'm not a part of that family...I just live under the same roof with them…"

"Yeah, I follow." He says, marking that he's still listening. "But why aren't you a part of that family?"

"The answer is simple. They hate me, they don't want me to be a part of their family. Ever."

"Why?"

"It's...complicated...I guess I'd hate me too, if I were them."

"Why would you say that?" The doubt in his voice is obvious, but to me...I can't tell if the doubt is real or fake.

"Because…I suck."

"Now, that is true."

I just shrug off his teasing.

"Autumn...why don't they welcome you in?"

The hard lump jumps back up to my throat. "To me, R. Family...is just a word." That cold icy feeling spreads through my chest.

"It only exists to the people that actually have one. I don't have one. So to me, it's just a word that means nothing. I don't think that it will ever mean anything to me anymore. It doesn't matter whether they welcome me in or not." I breathe, furrowing my eyebrows and tensing my shoulders.

"W...why would you say that?"

"Because I had one...now it's gone. I can't ever bring it back. My family left. And now all I ever wanna be is alone. Because I know, that if I let myself care for another family again. They'll just end up leaving, or breaking, or throwing me away like…" That part trails away. But I was gonna say...like Mama, like Dad...like everyone else that I thought cared for me.

"Everytime...I care about someone...they end up having to say 'goodbye.' Forever." I whisper.

A short and heavy silence clings to the air, and flows with every breath that leaves our lungs.

"But…" R breaks the short silence. "What about your brother? You care about him. Right? Doesn't he take at least one part of your dream family?"

I can feel my eyes burning, as I keep the hot tears in them. "Isn't he your only family left? Isn't he still counted as family?" He asks.

"Yeah, he's my brother. But...he has his own family, he has a place where he belongs now-"

"So? He's still family? Isn't he?"

"I don't know. Family cares about each other. Right? But I don't think my brother could care about me anymore."

"Why not?"

"His dad, his siblings. They don't care about me, even if we live under the same roof. I don't care about me. My mom, my dad, they didn't care about me. So, why would my brother care about me? He might have...before. But love doesn't last forever."

"Why would he stop caring about his sister?"

"It's possible. After everything he's gone through. After all the s*** that's happened in life in general. It's possible for people to just. Stop. Caring." Like my mom did. Like Sheila did with my dad. Like I stopped caring about my little brother's safety...which was technically the cause of his death. Because I thought that he'd be okay and safe going with mom to work. But no. I was wrong. I'm always wrong. Because it's difficult for me to choose right.

"Nah. I don't think so." He leans back a bit.

"Yeah...you go ahead. Believe that, and be naive." I look at him with my glassy eyes turning back to it's usual hard and cold state.

"No. My mom cares about me. I know it." He says determined. I hide my tiny smile. Then that happy feeling leaves.

"My mom forgot about me." I mumble. I look down at my wrist, where I know, under the sleeve, the exact spot of that scar. She forgot. She left. They all did. But I'm not leaving.

**A/N: So we really hope you guys are liking it. Please review, because we're dying just to know what everyone thinks...but don't vent all of your feelings out please. If you have any questions, comments, concerns, reviews, (this is sounding like what people say at every business place) just post it in the reviews! And also, please cast your vote in the poll on our profile page. I just realized that we haven't really said anything regarding this, so I'm going to say this now. HAPPY 75TH BIRTHDAY BATMAN! Can't wait for Robin's 75th anniversary!**


	28. Cold-Hearted

**Chapter 28: Cold-Hearted**

**A/N: Okay, so we're warning you right now...you will feel a lot of emotions in the next two chapters. Mostly because of what the characters are feeling and the many events squeezed into them. So please...no flaming.**

**Jason's POV**

10…

I lean on the door, looking around the dark and empty warehouse. My suit is tattered and covered in blood. My eye is swollen shut, and my other eye is trying to keep itself up.

I stare at the bomb. The numbers all in red.

Bruce will come. He'll save me. Then he'll ground me for the rest of my life. Then we can go home.

9…

Then I'll be good. I'll be more obedient.

He'll come. Then this will all be over.

8…

Then I can say, "I'm sorry" when he comes. He'll come, like he always does.

7…

Right?

6…

He'll save me! He'll come!

I imagine that he comes crashing through the roof this very moment.

5…

Then it hits me. He's coming...but he won't make it in time…or maybe he's not coming at all…

I start to regret every horrible thing I did and said.

I start to regret not being able to make him proud of me…

4…

I regret disobeying Bruce and going after someone I thought that was my real family, when my family was with Bruce and Alfred, and Dick...all this time. They were right in front of me. The family I was searching for my whole life.

And I know now that Bruce, really did care and even if he didn't seem to care, but he cared. I know that I cared for the man that was my father.

3…

It's true, what they say...your life flashes before your eyes when you die.

I remember Dick, the first time I met him. He was my hero. I wanted to live up to his legacy and make him proud even if he looked like he hated me for replacing him. But I never could replace him. Because I could have never been as good as he was when he had the cape and the mask on.

2…

I remember every time Alfred scolded me for doing a backflip in the hallway.

I remember everytime I helped him out with the chores and when he lent me the book of Oliver Twist. I never got to return it. It's somewhere in my room, the only book that's actually neatly placed on the desk.

1…

I remember Bruce. My dad. Everytime he told me that Dick wouldn't make the same mistake, or everytime he told me that I wasn't good enough. It hurt. But I hid the pain. Now, I know that he just told me those things so that I would train harder and be prepared for things like this.

At least there were some people out there that actually cared.

0…

The world slows down. I hear the roaring of an engine outside. Bruce is here. But he won't be able to be here in time.

My eyelids lower, my jaw drops and my shoulders lose tension. My body relaxes, now I know, that there was never really any hope of him saving me. I was just lying to myself.

But there is still hope that Dad actually cared about me. That I would be the last person that he would ever let The Joker hurt. Bruce will finally end that mad man.

He'll bury him six feet under once Bruce discovers my body.

At least my death will finally end The Joker.

It's okay that Bruce didn't save me. He'll kill The Joker anyways. It's okay.

Then the world starts to move again. It's over now. I love you dad.

*BOOM!*

It's all just simply pain and darkness all together. Nothing more. Nothing less.

My eyes widen. I move the wheel to the left, missing that truck. I stop the car by the side of the road, in front of the forest of trees. I was on my way to the city when my thoughts drifted away.

I lean on the wheel and stare at the pedals. I can feel the hot tears from that memory fill my eyes. But I don't let them out. I didn't cry during my death. I'm not crying now.

I just stare angrily at the ground. I yell and let out all my anger.

I rub my face with my palms. It's over. That's the past. It's done. It's over. Stop thinking about it Jason. That's over now.

It's all over…

I shoot my head back up, my tears disappearing. But my anger not fading.

I close my eyes for two seconds and try to forget.

Then I step on the gas and continue to drive to college.

****Break****

**Autumn's POV**

I stare out the window. My face leaning on my hand, and my elbow on the table. My hair falling down the sides of my cheek. I listen to music on my iPod. I don't care if it's allowed or not. I watch two birds fly across the sky and above the buildings in front of this school.

I'm just waiting for our biology teacher to tell me to stop using my iPod like he did last week. He gave me one hell of a bad look and a quick lecture. I just shrugged and walked back to my table.

I calmly listen to a song under the genre of rock. I love this song.

My feet hurt. Not because of the swollen ankle last time. My feet hurt because I hid them behind the wooden bar in between the feet of my chair. The wood is scratching the skin under my socks. Oh well.

Why do I hide my feet? I don't know...maybe cause Mckenzie told me that my shoes were cheap? Yeah cause I was the one who picked them and bought them. Weird...what other people say don't usually affect me...much.

The song from one of my favorite band ends.

Then there's that short pause in between two songs. And all I can hear is the noise of the other students in this classroom.

Then their noise ends and gets replaced by a soft but quick ticking of what sounds like a clock. Oh, this song.

"Do you hear me?" Lucky, by Jason Mraz, feat. Colbie Calliat.

"I'm talking to you." The boy's part. "Across the waters, across the deep blue ocean. Under the open sky. Oh, my, oh baby I'm trying."

Then I feel a hand on my shoulder. "Boy, I hear you. In my dreams." I look at his face.

"Autumn." He mouths.

"I feel you whisper, across the sea. I'll keep you with me." I take off the earphones and pause the song. I stand up and look at his sweet and soft pale face.

He has tousled dark brown longish hair with white tufts of hair all over his head. A few streaks of icy white and really dark brown hair bounce down his forehead and cover his icy blue eyes.

His eyes are wide and solid icy blue, but when I stare into them. There's a touch of sweetness mixed with a pained invisible soul.

He's wearing that lame school uniform for boys, but still somehow manages to wear it in a better way.

He just stands there frozen in shock.

"Oh God, Jake?" I stand, lean in a bit and take a closer look at his eyes.

"Oh wow. That is you…" His eyes widen with this realization. He launches forward and hugs me.

My hands lay hanging at my side as his arms wrap tighter around my waist. I let my chin sit on his broad shoulder as his cold breath makes the hair at the back of my neck stand.

I push him away from me. "Jake! I can't believe this!"

His eyes widen even more. "AUTUMN! YOU'RE ALIVE! Oh God, you're alive! YOU'RE-! I slap his mouth with my hand, I hold his collar and drag him out of the classroom. Eyeing the students giving us awkward looks.

I drag him down the hallway as he tries to scream muffled words and licks my palm.

I run down the hallway, holding him. I pass by a fair skinned asian looking girl practicing...arnis? By the lockers.

I search frantically for a place where we can talk. I turn to my left and let go of Jake's collar. I open the door to the closet and we crash in the dark, small Janitor's closet that smells like cleaning supplies. (Duh)

I close the door and let go of his mouth. I wipe my hand on my skirt as he starts flailing his arms around with wide eyes.

"AUTUMN!" He yells.

"Jake!" I grin at him.

"AUTUMN! YOU'RE ALIVE!"

"Hell yeah." I smirk.

"WHAT! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? HOW? WE MOURNED YOU! BURIED YOUR-"

"Don't say that word!" I try to forget that we're in a closet, in a tight space. It's cool Autumn, don't go all claustrophobic on me.

"YOU DIED! HOW CAN YOU BE ALIVE! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? WHY DIDN'T YOU RETURN BACK TO HOME BASE? AUTUMN...YOU'RE ALIVE! THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE." Believe me Jake, I've had a lot of experience with "Impossible." Nothing's impossible.

"AUTUMN! I THOUGHT...I thought you-" I put my finger over his lips.

"Did you find a body?" He shakes his head.

"Well, then I'm alive and, here I am...alive." He gently takes my wrist and puts my hand down.

"Sorry, Autumn. We just assumed you..."

"Burned to death on the axium towards earth? Well, once I reached Earth's atmosphere the controls burned and I crashed. Some...enemies found me. Patched me up, they kidnapped me so that they can torture me even more before I die. I was able to escape. Don't worry about them now though."

"Did you…"

I nod. "Yup."

He sighs. "It's wrong to take a life."

I roll my eyes. "It's not like you don't do it."

"But still...but anyways...you're alive!" He spreads his arms and leans forward. I move back and raise my hands. "Don't. Touch me. Human."

He moves back and rolls his eyes. "I'm no human. Anyways, how'd you get here?"

I cross my arms. "Long story." I look away from him. "Irrelevant."

"Oh...oh hell. We have to tell them!" My eyes widen and I step on his foot, he grabs his foot and hisses. He lets it fall back on the floor.

"HELL NO. YOU TELL ANYONE ELSE. YOU DIE." I cross my arms again. I took my word. I can't show my face to them.

"Why not? War's over. You ended it. You're a hero."

My face hardens. "I'm no hero." I growl.

"But you ended the war."

"No. Just don't. That war's over that's it. End of story."

"What about everyone else?"

My eyes widen a bit.

"They never abandoned the mission. Even in death. Good soldiers. They're the real heroes. We won. They died. I lived. It's over."

Maybe I should have been the one to die instead.

My eyes pierce into his icy soul. "You?"

"After the war. most of us went our separate ways. Anne and Vic adopted me." The scientists that I worked with. "They brought me here. They have a huge mansion here and they even own property here in Gotham."

"Financial District?":

"Yeah." He shrugs. "Now. We're planning to live a normal life. They're paying for me to go to school."

"Yeah, they're good people. You lucky ass."

"You, you got a new family?"

"Long story."

"You haven't changed at all." He rolls his eyes. "Still so secretive."

I rub my arm with my palm. "So. Um...I like your highlights." I say smiling.

"Thanks. They're natural." He looks down and rubs the back of his neck and smiles at the floor.

"Cool." I tease.

"Huh, you said it." He looks back at me.

The door swings open and we both look at a really confused janitor.

I walk passed a janitor with an annoyed look on my face. My chest has suddenly gotten lighter. I hate tight spaces.

Jake follows me. Without looking, I know he's got a smirk across his face.

We walk back in the classroom and I sit back down on my favorite desk. I look out the door to see Jake surrounded by giggling popular girls.

He just talks to them with a shiny smile on his face. But I know on the inside he's saying. "Help meeee."

I shake my head and put my earphones back on. I play the song again.

"In my heart. You make it easier when life gets hard." I look at my zombie pale hands. My vains can already be seen through my skin. "Lucky I'm in love with my best friend." I just smile and look back out the window.

**A/N: Credits to a friend for suggesting the song! JD.**

****Break****

**Damian's POV**

"Who is that?" I say, disgust in my voice, as I gesture to the boy surrounded by those foolish girls.

"I have absolutely no idea." Daly replies.

I narrow my eyes and take a closer look at this boy. He's smiling and talking with those girls, but the smile isn't genuine. I've used that smile so many times to know what it looks like.

He may look like he's paying attention to those girls, but every few seconds I see him glance over at Autumn. She's sitting by the window, as usual, listening to music while looking out, as if longing for freedom.

I wish I could leave this damned place called school.

Oh no...we don't need another Snyder in the class...

Some kid next to me leans over. "Do you know that kid?"

"No." I state bluntly and harshly.

"Well he knows that girl over there. Autumn? I think that's her name. When they saw each other they hugged, the guy started yelling, but she dragged him out of the room and out of sight."

"And why are you telling me this?" Actually, that's pretty useful information. I just don't understand why he felt the need to tell _me,_ some random kid who he sits next to.

"Dunno. Just felt like it." Ugh. People annoy me.

I turn away from him and look back at this new guy. He's walking over to Autumn and the girls who were swarming him are now following him with their eyes, and some of them are giving Autumn disgusted and jealous looks.

Autumn has a friend? Who is this guy? Why would anyone be that girl's friend? There must be something wrong with him.

They're talking. They're actually having a normal conversation. Well actually the boy has wide eyes the entire time he's talking with her. Oh no don't tell me he likes her.

Does Autumn like him back? I don't even know if he likes her...I'm just guessing.

Her only friend happens to be a boy...

Suddenly the entire class quiets down as our teacher walks into the classroom.

I don't pay attention to any word he says because the same thought keeps going through my head.

Who the hell is that boy?!

****Break****

Well it's lunch. Instead of joining my friend at...wherever he is. I walk over to where Carter and Drake are talking. Odd...why isn't Carter with her class and Drake with his? The both of them are at a deserted table while their friends are at nearby tables. They are talking in hushed tones.

"Should we ask Bruce if he knows anything?" I can hear Carter whisper to Drake as I get closer to the table.

"I don't know. He might end up pressuring Autumn and giving her a harsh talk. I think she's been through a lot and doesn't want to be pestered."

"Don't develop a soft spot for her, Tim. It's annoying." There's an obvious harshness in her voice.

"Well Drake is annoying, there is no denying that. But what do you want to ask Father?" I take a seat across from them.

"You've seen that boy, right? He is in your class." Carter gestures to a table a few yards away, where Cross and that boy from earlier are sitting next to each other, smiling genuine smiles. I didn't think she was capable of being happy.

"Yea. So?"

"Do you know who he is?" Drake asks me.

"No." I say harshly. "My imbecile of a teacher didn't introduce him, but I'll find out who he is. Even if I have to force it out of him."

"Only if we have to. But for now, let's not get rash." She narrows her unusually cold eyes at me. I feel like a darker air has settled around Carter. Lately, she hasn't been exactly the same. Ever since she got shot. It isn't obvious, but I've noticed. In the little things. The little differences.

"There's no use asking her about him, so I'll do some research when we get home on any of Autumn's known acquaintances from before she "died." I don't even know if she has any, but I'll try to dig deep." Drake says.

"I can't wait that long." Her voice is annoyed and her brow furrowed. She stands up, grabs a crumpled napkin that was next to her food, and walks over to the trashcan near the cafeteria doors, which is near the table Autumn is sitting at. She throws away her trash and instead of walking over the grassy area like she did on the way to the trashcan, she follows the concrete path which passes by Cross' table. She slows down ever so slightly by their table and then walks back to us.

"Jake." She says as she sits back down. "That's all I got. I knew they would notice me once I stood up and started nearing them. I just wanted a name. As I passed by them, Autumn became quiet, but the boy kept talking. Autumn shushed him, but accidentally gave away his name. This "friend" of hers is named Jake. Tim, make sure to do your research on this boy. I want to know everything you can learn about him. Bruce will want to know, too."

"Damian, find out what you can about him during your classes, if you can procure anything from him without making it seem obvious. I'm not asking you to approach him and start a "casual" conversation." As she says that, she holds up her fingers and bends two fingers in each hand, imitating the quotation marks. "Just try to learn something."

"I don't take orders from you. Only from Father and occasionally Pennyworth."

She narrows her eyes and lowers her voice. "Then don't. Suit yourself. You won't learn anything about him."

"I gotta go. I promised Tim that I'd help him study for our test." She picks up her stuff and heads over to her friends' table, leaving me with Drake.

"She can be intimidating." Drake remarks.

"No duh. That's what happens when you have Father for a mentor."

"How could Cross have a friend? She isn't exactly friendly." I say, looking back at the two, who have stood up and started walking into the cafeteria.

"I don't know. Maybe she was different in the past from how she is now?"

She was.

The Autumn Cross I knew was a worthy opponent.

She was joyful, enthusiastic and cocky. She used to wear long pigtails, her eyes used to shine brightly every time we sparred.

"Come on Dami! You can do better than that!" The sun was shining, the sky was bright blue and the clouds were thick and white. We were sparring, and I was losing.

I was fighting with force and anger, while she seemed to be fighting with grace and joy.

I ran towards her, she just stood there, smiling at me. When I got to her, it was a big mistake running towards her.

I punched, but missed. I tried a roundhouse kick, but then she sidestepped and dodged. I punched her face.

I smiled. But when she turned to look at me, she just kept smiling. "Good one." She said.

Before I knew it. Her legs were wrapped around my neck and pulled me down. My head hitting the concrete.

"That's enough, children."

Autumn got up and stood over me with her hands on her hips and an annoying grin on her face. She outstretched her hand.

I didn't take it and so, I got up on my own.

We walked to where Mother was standing.

Now, I wish I took her hand. For once, I wish that we could have been friends, so that we wouldn't have to be enemies.

I wonder. If the joy that she fought with. I wonder if it was just a mask. I wonder if it was real...

Enough. Damian. She is the enemy now. And she will always be the enemy, no matter what. She will never be my sister or my friend. Even if Mother treated Cross like her own daughter. Even if Father is so blinded that he thought of Cross as his own daughter as well.

Autumn Cross is the enemy and she will always be the enemy. She is The Phoenix. That is all she will be.

No, she is less. Autumn Cross. Is nothing.

****Break****

**Chris' POV**

We didn't pick up Autumn today.

I don't really care. It feels like the old times. The "happier" times.

Probably went off somewhere with her new "boyfriend."

Huh, Autumn has a boyfriend...before I do. Meh.

"Thanks for the cookies Alfred." Tim says as he grabs a few and heads in the direction of the study.

"Thank you Pennyworth. Father will be proud that you made exactly what I was craving."

I roll my eyes at him and smack him lightly in the back of the head when Alfred turns around.

"Ow! What the heck was that for?" I glare at him in response. He glares back at me. We end up having a glaring contest until Alfred tells Damian to head upstairs and do his homework.

There are only five cookies left. I can hear the sound of the oven. He's making another batch.

I grab four cookies, but when I reach for the fifth one, Alfred smacks my hand.

"Ow! Alfred what the hell?!"

"Watch your tongue Miss Christine!"

"Sorry..."

"Save that one for Miss Autumn. When dinnertime comes check and see if she is in her room."

I furrow my eyebrows and just stare at him. He's serious. Ugh.

Why the hell should I save a cookie for her? It's not like she would save a cookie for me...

"Fine." I swiftly turn around and head upstairs.

****Break****

**Autumn's POV**

I'm good at acting.

I can fake a genuine smile. I've managed to fool everyone, making them believe that I was happy. I managed to fool my mom, whenever she asked me if I was okay. I would smile and tell her that I was alright.

I can fake a laugh, a smile, I can fake it all. I've managed to fool everyone. Including myself...faking smiles and pretending is the only thing I'm good at anyways...

Jake and I walk away from school. I was able to get out of their sight. Somehow, I was actually able to avoid Alfred's eye when he was picking us up.

But I think I caught a glance of disappointment from him. It doesn't matter. Bruce Wayne wouldn't care about me anyways. Neither would his children.

I'll just walk in through the doors tonight, pass by them. It's not like any of them care anyways.

Jake is holding onto his bag as we continue to walk. We just walk in silence, my heavy bag hanging on one shoulder as I hold onto my arm, biting the lower part of my lip.

This is much more important than whatever lecture Mr. Wayne could possible give me.

We stop in front of a huge mansion. White and Gold.

"Wait here." He tells me. I walk ten feet away from the mansion.

"I think it's best that I wait here instead." I can't risk letting them see my face.

He shrugs. "Yeah okay." He runs inside.

I just stand here casually, putting my hands in the pockets of my skirt.

I feel something metal and cold inside my pocket. I pull it out. "What?"

It's a small retractable red knife.

I stare at the sharp blade, shining under the afternoon sunlight.

I furrow my eyebrows. I don't remember putting a blade in my pocket.

"Or did I?" I think I remember shoving this pocket knife in my left pocket this morning before going to school. Yeah, I took it from the dresser after quickly brushing my hair. I shoved it in my pocket for some reason.

I can't remember why, though. "Why did I put this in my pocket? Why do I even have a pocket knife? Where did I even get it from? I remember buying one...but I don't remember when or where exactly..." I wonder.

"Hey, you done mumbling to yourself?" I look up, and stuff the knife back in my pocket. Jake is standing in front of the house, ten feet away from me, he's holding a box full of things.

"Here's your stuff." He starts walking towards me. "I kept them after you…"

"Thanks Jake." I smile as he hands it over to me.

I start rummaging through the box and pull out a book. That says with an ugly handwriting. _My diary._

Jake smirks. "Didn't know you had a diary."

"Yeah, I know. I was so naive." But I kept this with me the entire time. "I needed to write something. I'm that kind of a crazy writer." I smile at him.

"No kidding. You always need a pencil and a piece of paper with you." He smiles back.

"Yeah. I'd go crazy with boredom." I drop the book back in the box. He chuckles lightly.

"Hell, yeah." He smirks.

"Thanks for keeping my stuff for me."

"It's all there." He smiles with his white shiny teeth.

I hold onto the box. "Well, I've gotta go. I'll see ya tomorrow." I tell him with one of those fake smiles.

"Okay, see ya."

I turn around and walk away from the mansion of his new parents.

I just keep walking down the empty neighborhood. What will I do at home?

Hell, I'm not going to do nothing tonight. Not after...well, I need to keep myself occupied. Or I'll start thinking again. And maybe, I'll start crawling up into a ball and crying again. Like I always do, almost every night.

****Break****

I climb in to my room, through the window.

I put my things down on the bed. My messy bed full of pieces of paper, some pens, books, notebooks, comic books and some toy cars.

I put my bag down and just throw it in the corner of the room next to my guitar. I start shuffling through the box.

I put the diary on the covered bed. I may be messy, but I still cover my bed every morning, so that the inside of my bed won't get gross and dirty.

I pull out an old picture from the box. I stare at it, with an emotionless face.

It's a picture of my mom and my little brother. They were so happy. I know, because I'm the one who took that picture with the really cheap and old camera that mom had. The edges are kinda burned and some parts of the picture look like it was dipped in a puddle of dirty water, then dried up under the hot burning sun.

My eyelids lower a bit as I hold the picture. I carefully put it on my desk, inside one of the top drawers.

I walk back to the box.

I pull out my old favorite knife. It's a pretty big knife for my hands. But I can handle it. I hold the knife and look at the thick, shiny blade. I let a small evil smirk take over my mouth as I glare at the blade and hold it right in front of my eyes.

The handle of the knife is radiant blood red. I throw it in the air and catch it by its handle again. I smirk.

I walk to the desk and shove it in the drawer next to the picture of my old family.

I walk back to the box and pull out a thin book. The cover is all black with a silhouette of a ghost in the background. In all red capital letters is the word DEATH.

Ah, yes, good for when I'm bored. I just throw it on my desk.

I take the bottom of the box and throw it upside down and just scatter all of my things all over my bed. I throw the box behind me.

Eh, I'm too lazy to search through all this stuff. I'll do it later. I don't feel like getting all sentimental.

I change into dark tattered jeans, I put on a black shirt and a jacket. I grab some things and shove some random stuff in my pockets. There's still lots of time, I would go somewhere, anywhere but here.

I climb out the window, not bothering to turn off the lights, cause well, they're already off.

I walk away from the manor. It doesn't matter if they've caught me. It's not like they care. No one cares.

****Break****

I just walk through the late afternoon. It's four thirty. I just keep on walking.

The sun isn't out, it's covered with dark clouds.

But before I know it. I end up walking back to Crime Alley. The sounds of the peaceful chirping crickets gets replaced by the smashing of beer bottles and gunshots.

I pull out my old Nokia from my pocket. I have this phone and the other phone. They're nothing expensive, good for texting and good for calling. But this phone is now empty. Cause I've decided to just use my Cherry Mobile, I moved all my contacts there and everything else.

This Nokia can still text and call, but there's nothing else but my other phone's number on it. It's become useless.

I shove it back in my pocket. I pull my hood over my head and I put my hands in my pocket. Then I furrow my eyebrows and pull out that same pocket knife from earlier.

I wonder why I keep on bringing this knife with me. I remember putting it in my pocket earlier, but I just can't remember why.

I bite the lower part of my lip. I roll my sleeve up, showing off my blue green veins through my pale, pale skin.

I grip the knife as I look down at my arm and continue walking. I slowly put the knife down and let it touch my skin. It doesn't hurt cause it's not enough force to cut the skin. But it's enough force to let me feel the cold and sharpness of the knife.

Then I bump into something and I drop the knife. I look around me and furrow my eyebrows even more as looking around. When did it start raining?

I roll down my sleeve and look down at the person that I bumped into. A kid, with rags for clothes and messy dark brown hair and big brown eyes. He's about half my size and he's got milk chocolate skin. I pick the knife up and look at the kid.

He scowls as he looks down at the piece of bread on the floor. He looks up at me and scowls. "It's your fault! That was my only food left!" My stomach drops and I look at him in embarrassment and pity.

"I'm s-"

"Hey you!" I look behind him, where a man in an apron is scowling at him. The boy looks back and gasps, he pushes me to the side and runs.

The man in the apron runs. I outstretch my foot and make the fat man trip and fall face flat on his face. He's literally kissing the piece of bread that's soaked in dirty water.

The rain continues to pour as I run after the kid, the kid's thin, but not that fast, obviously tired.

Finally, I catch him by the arms, and I easily lift him up as he struggles and flails his feet around.

He grunts. "Let go of me!" his voice is high, but he tries to sound tough.

"Kid. I'm just trying to help you." I struggle to keep him still.

"No your not!"

"Yeah, I am!"

"Why would you do that?!" he says, calming down a bit. I put him down but I still hold his arm.

"Because, it's my fault why you won't be able to eat later. I'm clumsy, and now I'm guilty."

"Yeah, you should be! But why would you wanna help me?" He looks at me. "I don't even know you!"

I look at his face and take in every single detail. "I may not know your name. But I think I know you." I smile and let go of his arm.

He furrows his eyebrows at me. He crosses his arms. "Maybe we've met. Maybe not. It doesn't matter!" He lets his arms fall as the rain pours harder.

"Yeah, I know you. You're that kid that I gave the bread to." I smile and take off my jacket after I notice his shivering. I put the jacket over his head and kneel down, making sure that the jacket really is keeping him warm and tightening the arms around him.

He furrows his eyebrows. "I remember you." He mumbles.

I nod. "Yup. I told you to remember me. Since I gave you something to eat that time. You owe me."

His eyes widen. "What? But you said-" I chuckle, cutting him off.

"Relax, kid. All I want is to help you again. You owe me, times two. I helped you with that guy and I gave you a piece of bread a few years ago. So in exchange, I want you to come with me to McDonalds."

He glares at me, although he looks like he's pouting. "Why? I don't even know your name!"

"I'm Autumn Cross. Street kid." I say proudly.

He looks at me. "You don't look like one." He says, holding onto the arms of the jacket.

"Ex street kid. But hey, once a street kid, always a street kid."

You can take the kid off the streets, but you can't take the streets off the kid.

He looks down. "I'm Coby Moore." He mumbles.

"Coby Moore." I mumble.

Then I hear a loud grumbling, possibly louder than the rain. He clutches his stomach. I smile and stand up.

"Alright Coby. Now that we know each other, you can trust me!" I smile at him. I can tell he's confused. "So now that you can trust me. Why don't we get something warm to eat and a place to get away from the rain, huh?"

I lead him towards shelter. "It's not like I have a choice." he says.

I smirk. "You said it."

We find a small McDonalds. We stand under the roof to get dry for a while. "The rain isn't stopping." I mumble, seriously.

He looks up at me. That look on his face says. "I didn't think you could be serious."

After I wring my hair we walk in.

Coby still has my jacket wrapped around him.

After ordering, we get a table and sit in front of each other.

"So Coby, where do ya live?"

"Nowhere." he looks down.

"Your parents?"

"Gone…" He looks out the window.

"Fam…" I trail away and look down. Then the food comes.

I get the cup of water and he gets, everything.

He practically finishes it all. Of course, I don't judge. I know what it's like to starve for weeks.

I pay for the food with my money that I thought of bringing earlier.

"It's still raining." I say.

"I'm used to the rain." He points out as we just stand under the roof and stare at the puddles of water. He's about to walk when I pull the back of his shirt.

"No. I'm not going to let you be alone forever."

"Why do you care?" He spits.

"Because I know how it feels like." It feels horrible.

I sit down on the stairs and gesture for him to sit beside me.

"I was a street kid, you know. That's why I'm helping you. I don't want anyone to feel alone and have no home, like I did." I look at the boy.

He listens with curiosity.

"It hurts to be a street kid."

"Yeah, the things I had to do just to get food, some water."

He nods and furrows his eyebrows. I can see a small tear about to leave his eye.

"You miss them, don't you?" He doesn't look at me as he sniffs. "I don't know you much...or maybe at all. But I know that you're living a hard life here."

My voice softens. "My parents died too."

He looks at me with curious eyes. "How?"

"They died in a car accident." I lie. "I had a brother, too. But he was shot." I look down. "He was my little brother." I look back at Coby. "Now, I'd do anything just to have him back."

It's easy for me to get see the souls of people. The first thing I see when I meet someone isn't their hair or the color of their eyes. The first thing I see is their soul. That's why it's easy for me to get through to people in pain. Because I know how it feels.

"You miss them. Right? That night when I gave you that piece of bread. You were sad. That was the night that...the world took them away from you. Wasn't it?" He doesn't say anything.

I know I just met this kid. But I feel the need to make sure nobody feels the way that I feel. Alone, uncared for. Cold. Dead inside. Empty.

"I know that you don't know me, Coby. But you can trust me. I can help you."

"How?" He just looks straight ahead.

"Listen. I know an orphanage."

"Don't talk to me about those orphanages. They'll just kick me out when I turn 18 anyways."

"Yeah, but on the streets, would you even get a chance to turn 18?" He just stays silence at my logic.

"How do you think I was able to find a place to sleep in? I went to the orphanage. Someone adopted me." I'm lying but I need to get through with him.

I need to help him. "But-"

"i know, most orphanages in Gotham are pretty crappy. But, I know some awesome ones. I know one that isn't way too far. I can drop you off there after the rain stops. It's an orphanage funded by the Wayne Foundation. I've seen the place. And it's pretty good." Yeah, I went there. I was walking down the road when I passed by that place. I saw all the kids, they were happy and playing. It's not like...Ma Gunn's School. (I searched the cave files hehe, nobody better tell Bruce!)

"Trust me." I put my hand on his shoulder and he tenses.

"That's not the problem."

I cock my head. "Then what is?"

"In an orphanage, on the streets, it's all the same. I'll always be alone. Always."

"Orphanages are built to help kids get a family."

"What if I don't find one?! Who would want a kid like me?!" He looks at me with troubled eyes. "I won't be able to find a family!"

I just smile. I glance at the ground, then back at him. I put my hand in my pocket and take out my Nokia. He looks at it as I hold onto it.

"How about...I be your family?"

"Huh?" He looks at me with a puzzled look. I let out a not-obviously-fake chuckle.

"It's simple." I take his warm hand and put my phone on his palm. "Listen. I can't ask...my...parents….to adopt you...cause...er...I just recently moved in. But...I can be your temporary sister. Okay? It's like family. Isn't it?"

"But, we're not blood related."

I smile. "You don't need to be related by blood to be siblings. I can be like a big sister. While you wait to get adopted, and maybe even after that! I'll go visit the orphanage every so often, maybe two, three times a week. And whenever you need someone to talk to." I show him my other phone's number on the contact list.

"You do know how to use this phone right?" He just nods, staring at it.

"Great. So you can call me whenever you want to! And I can visit, starting tomorrow! After class of course. It's great!"

"So…" He looks like he's collecting his thoughts. "You'll visit? Why?"

I smile, and ruffle his hair, this time, he doesn't flinch. "Cause I don't want you to be alone!" I say, trying my best to sound enthusiastic.

"You'll...be my sister?"

"Exactly! I'll be like...like...a temporary sister until you find a new family. And if no one really does come. When I turn 18, I'll take you out of the orphanage."

"What if...I don't wanna stay there?"

"Well, I'm not forcing you. But once I drop you, you can't leave."

"Why not?" He puts on a sour face.

"You still have to pay for the meal. Pay by staying there."

"Why?"

"Because, when I go there. I'll have no one to visit!"

"How do I know that you actually will come? How do I know that you won't leave me and forget about me." I smile, and put on my happy mask. I force my eyes to shine with joy.

Even if on the inside. I'm not really happy. But I really do care about this boy. I will keep my promise. I can be his temporary sister.

I scoot over closer to Coby. I draw an X over my chest. "I cross my heart and hope to die. I won't leave you." I hold my hand up in an L position to emphasise my pledge. I smile. He mimics what I did.

"Cross my heart." He says. And this time. He smiles at me. "I won't leave either." His smile is well, it makes me feel something. It makes me lose that numb feeling for a while.

I smile back. "See! You look better when you smile! Tomorrow, I wanna see you smile again, okay?" I tell him, feeling a good warmth spreading through my chest. It replaces that numb and dead feeling I feel constantly.

I look straight. The rain is slowly stopping, it's just a drizzle now. "Come on, the rain is stopping." I stand up, and he stands up also.

"Let's go?" I ask him, outstretching my hand. He looks at it and smiles. He takes my hand and nods.

"Okay." That happier tone in his voice is replacing all the sadness, all the bitterness, all the coldness.

We walk out from under the roof and I realize that the rain has completely stopped, the sun comes out.

The sky is orange, and yellow, and a bit of purple and some blue. The sun is going down. But it's okay. It makes the world more colorful as we walk.

The streets are silent now, and that fresh scent fills my nose. I look down at Coby, who's just looking straight forward. Then he looks up at me and he smiles. Suddenly a shadow of Nico's soul replaces his face. But he's still smiling, his face is still happy and bright. Then the face goes back to Coby.

I smile, despite the fact of being reminded of Nico.

I look forward and continue to hold onto Coby. We walk in joyful silence. As the sunset brings light to this usual crime infested place.

But today, the streets are empty, no crime, no noise, just the sound of colors singing happy songs through the day.

But then at that same moment, a realization hits me. Fear fills my heart. It beats faster as it screams at me. The beautiful colors turn into shadows whispering. The orange sun is no longer beautiful in my eyes.

"Are you okay?" I look down and put on that fake smile.

"I'm fine." I say trying to hide the tears of fear in my eyes.

****Break****

**Chris' POV**

"Dinner is ready. Please tell Miss Autumn to come downstairs."

"Why don't you do it yourself? You're already up here."

"Do not use that tone with me young lady!"

I grunt in response and look back down at my homework.

"Do what you are told, or I will take away your laptop."

"What!? That's not fair!" I jerk my head up and glare at him. "Just because I don't wanna look into her room to check if she's here doesn't mean you get to take away my laptop!"

"I can do what I wish, if I feel that it is right."

I stand up. "You don't get to discipline me Alfred. That's a father's job. Bruce's job."

"Well Master Bruce isn't here at the moment, so it is now my job. Now hand me your laptop."

"Ugh fine! I'll go tell her!" I flail my arms up. "Jeez!"

I storm past him and violently open the door. No one's here! But there are some things on her bed...all sprawled out, and I pinpoint a small book on her bed that looks as if it was gently placed onto the covers. What is that?

I swiftly turn around. "No one's here! You could've done that yourself! Ugh! I don't see what you had to gain from this. Now if you would have the courtesy to leave me alone." I storm past him and slam the door in his face. I'm no longer hungry.

That was enough to get me another talk with Bruce. Yay.

Stupid life. You just had to be unfair. Always throwing me curveballs. Making my life interesting and messed up.

At least I don't live a boring and uneventful life like some people.

I turn back to my homework. Stupid math. You suck.

I'm sitting here, staring at my paper. I look like I'm thinking hard but my thoughts are somewhere else.

What was on her bed? Obviously she was here because there was stuff on her bed. I don't go into her room, but I know that Alfred would've cleaned it up if it was there while we were at school.

_It's probably nothing important. Just go back to your homework. _

_What if it is useful? You should check it out._

_No! You don't have the right to raid her room and go through her personal possessions._

_But what if you find a plan to murder you and your family?_

_Why would she do that? She already said that she doesn't wanna hurt this family._

_She could have been lying!_

_She could have not!_

Oh God SHUT UP.

Voices in my head...annoying, yet helpful in certain situations.

Should I go in her room? Should I not?

I glance at my door. What lies behind those doors and inside Autumn's room?

GAAAAAHHH. My curiosity takes over me. I stand up and quietly approach my door. Maybe someone's outside, I don't know!

After listening intently for a while behind my door, I open it and enter the hallway. I look both ways and quietly enter Autumn's room.

Her bed is neat, but the stuff sprawled on it makes it look messy. There's a guitar in the corner of her room, next to a bag. She plays guitar? That's kinda cool. I'm stuck playing the piano, a classical instrument. At least I can play some of my favorite songs on the piano.

Her dresser is pretty neat. Nothing really on it.

I take a few steps into the room. Heh, she's neat for the most part, other than the stuff on her bed and the black box on the floor, obviously thrown aside. I walk over to her desk, where I find a black book with the word DEATH on the cover. What the hell? Eh, different people have different interests. Probably shouldn't open it though.

I look down and notice that one of the drawers is slightly open. I pull it open and stare at what's inside. A large knife with a blood red handle. It looks big for my hand. Underneath it is a picture, but I can't exactly tell who's in it.

I lift the knife, feeling slightly uncomfortable while holding it. Knives aren't really my thing, especially since one of my most painful memories involves me getting stabbed by the Joker.

I place the knife quietly on the desk and pull out the old picture. A woman, somewhere in her mid 30s, with dark skin and brown hair, is smiling with her arm around a young boy, who is obviously her son. He's also smiling. The picture seems to be taken with a crappy camera, and apparently this picture went through a lot. It's slightly burnt and feels like it was sun dried. Why would Autumn have a picture of two people who seem happy? I know that people aren't always what they seem. I've had personal experience, and I've had a lot of practice hiding my true emotions.

Maybe that was her family? The family that ended up dead. She said that everyone she cared about ended up dead or broken. I wonder what really happened to them.

I don't know what came over me to go through her stuff. I only wanted to see what that book was. I quickly put the knife back and close the drawer. I walk over to the bed covered in a bunch of random stuff. Hey cool she reads comic books!

I stare at the cover of the slightly tattered book.

_My Diary_

Jackpot.

I should get out of here. She could be back any minute. Or maybe Alfred will come in here and clean her room. Or worst of all, Bruce will just happen to be outside, waiting to scold me.

I grab the diary and run out of the room. I just stand in the hallway. If she comes back, she'll notice the diary is gone. Then I'll have a hard time explaining that to Bruce. But if I find something useful in it, he might overlook it. _Might_. But some things might not make sense in here. Tim could probably help me out. He's researching still, right? Wait no, he's eating dinner. Then maybe he'll come back to research. Yea, he'll continue. Tim doesn't stop till he finds something useful, and he would've told me if he found something.

I tuck the diary halfway into my pants and cover it with my loose shirt. I run downstairs and into the Batcave, making sure to avoid Alfred.

****Break****

**Tim's POV**

Ah. That was good food. Well everything Alfred makes is delicious.

I should probably continue researching this Jake guy, and anything else I can find out about Autumn.

I haven't found anything so far, which is frustrating. It's like he's off the grid, like Autumn was, until we found out who she is.

I walk into the study and open the grandfather clock door. My steps echo through the Batcave.

"Oh hey Chris. What's that?"

She's sitting in front of the BatComputer, reading something I've never seen before. I can see her smirking.

"Oh nothing...just Autumn's diary." She turns the chair to face me, but she doesn't look up from the book. She says that so calmly like it's no big deal.

"What?! How did you get that? She has a diary?!"

"More like _had_. The last date in here was years ago.

"How did you get that?"

"Uhh can't tell you."

"Can't tell me?! I'm going to find out eventually!"

"Then I'll let you find out eventually. But for now it's a secret. Enough of that. I need help interpreting some information." She finally looks up at me.

"Fine. What did you find?"

"I'm not exactly sure. There's the regular stuff girl's write about in diaries, like their feelings. Jake is mentioned a few times, but there's really nothing between them. She sees him as a friend, at least that's what I'm interpreting. But then there's a few things in here that keep referring to battles and...lots and lots of death...and well, anger. Do you think you could figure out what these battles are, like if they were in the news or something, just by Autumn's descriptions?"

"I don't know. Let me see the diary. Then I'll search through the database." I stretch out my arm and stare at her, telling her through my eyes to move off of the chair, but she doesn't budge, nor does she hand me the diary.

"Chris. Give me the diary and move off the chair."

"No. You might run away with the diary and show Alfred, who will tell Bruce, and I'll be dead. And I don't feel like moving. We can share the seat."

I roll my eyes. Since when was she so scared of Bruce and paranoid?

"Fine." She scoots over and sits on half of the seat, making space for me. I sit down, trying not to blush or do anything awkward or stupid. I don't know why I'm so nervous. It's not like we haven't been this close before.

I guess I'm not blushing, since she hasn't made a remark about it.

She tightly holds the diary in her hands as I read what's in it. Her handwriting isn't elegant at all like in most diaries. The letters are sharp, the words are sinking deep in the paper as if she was writing so hard, with rage.

_This is s***. How could she have betrayed us like that? She was my best friend! How could she have betrayed her own brother?! That's messed up! She was...she was my friend. She may have been shy and quiet, kinda goth and emo, sometimes mean too. But she was my friend. She was fun to be with. Fun to talk to when she was in the mood._

_I guess...I have to do what I believe is right. Ella Rane, you're dead. I don't see any reason to spare you for this great sin that you have done to us. The deaths you have caused, the pains you gave. The mothers, the fathers, the children that have died because of your lies, because of all that you have done. I will end you._

I type frantically on the computer, but I can't find anything.

"Nothing. Anything else in the diary that we could use?"

"Uhh I think so give me a sec." She starts flipping through the pages, glancing at each one before she flips to the next one. Then she stops and puts her finger on a page. "How 'bout this?"

_Tonight's the night. We're infiltrating the base. We're ending this. It will all be over. I don't care if I have to die to end this. Or how many lives I have to take to get this over with. But I will end this, along with my team. I don't care if I have to die. I wish that my team would survive though. But come one Autumn...we all know that none of us will be coming back alive._

_I don't care about the pressure. It hurts though, the entire world on my back. But I've felt it before. I'm used to it. Leading my own team. Accepting the responsibility. _

_The world is heavy. Carrying it on my back all day long. It's crushing me. Slowly. In the most painful way possible. _

_But it's okay, I'm used to it._

_I've felt worse. The day that...my dad left, those times when he looked at me in disappointment. Those nights that he yelled at me for not being perfect. The night when Death grabbed my brother's soul and took him away from me. When Papa broke me, inside and out. When Momma would cry every night, when she would scream at me, telling me she hated me. When she would hurt me and shatter me without any remorse in her face. _

_Those times when I stayed beside her and hugged her, she pushed me away. And that night...when I held her bloody body in my arms and still tried to carry her corpse on my back and bring her to the clinic._

_Those times...it felt like I was falling and falling. In a never ending, dark abyss. The darkness slowly eating me up, not listening to my screams, not caring about the tears I shed. I fall forever. Then it was like...I was falling, but like at the same time. I hit the ground, over and over again. The world slamming me down on the cold concrete already flooded with my blood. But the darkness didn't stop crashing me so hard on the ground._

_I feel like I'm dying. Slowly. Painfully. Nobody cares. Nobody will ever care...not anymore. _

"Hmmm...maybe." That's deep...

I search through the database. Still nothing.

"Is this diary even useful?" I ask.

"I don't know. I haven't read through all of it. And that's why I'm asking you to help me find something that could help us."

"Well maybe this would be easier if I knew exactly what we are looking for. I thought we were only researching this Jake guy? None of this stuff has to do with Jake."

"To tell you the truth, I don't really know. Maybe there's something here that could help us in some way, we just don't know it yet. It would benefit Bruce if he knew everything about Autumn. Maybe even benefit us too."

"Or maybe it will help us understand what she's going through. Her life does sound pretty tough. Maybe the stuff in here will help us understand it more."

"Her life may be tough, but it's what she deserves for everything that she's done."

"And what exactly has she done? We don't know everything about her. Maybe she wasn't who she is now." I don't see how Chris can be so heartless toward Autumn.

"And maybe she was always like this. All I know is that she's hurt a lot of people, including us. That's enough for me." She flicks her hand, as if pushing something aside. "Let's get back to work."

I don't know how long we are sitting in front of the computer, side by side, constantly flipping through pages and searching through the database, but we are disrupted when the door opens and footsteps echo through the cave.

"Carter. Drake. What are you doing?"

I immediately close the screen and Chris moves the diary out of sight. I don't even know where she put it.

"None of your business Damian. Go away." Chris crosses her arms. She's rarely like that with Damian.

"I will not go away until you tell me what you are doing." He stands next to the chair, his arms crossed and back straightened.

"What do you want?" I say.

"Just telling you that Father's here. He wanted to know where you were. Can't imagine why." He scoffs.

"Tell him we'll be up in a bit. Now go away." Chris furrows her eyebrows.

"No." His gaze shifts to Chris' side, where her bullet wound is. "What's under your shirt?"

"There's nothing under my shirt."

"Yes there is. I can make out the outline of a book. What is it?"

"I said there's nothing under my shirt." Her eyes are narrowed now. Why do I have to be in the middle?

Without warning, Damian leaps over my lap and tackles Chris to the ground. He's trying to get the diary from her, but Chris is making sure he can't get it.

"Give it to me!"

"No! There's nothing to give you!"

Chris tries to push Damian off of her with her legs as she holds his arms. I stand up and try to pull Damian off of her.

"Do not touch me weakling!" He kicks my stomach, and I stumble backwards. I hate how he can always hit me and I can barely land a punch on him.

Suddenly, Chris' legs can no longer keep Damian at a safe distance, and Damian falls on top of her.

"OW OW OW GET OFF GET OFF!" Chris' face contorts, and I can tell she's really in pain.

"Damian get off her!"

I move closer to them to attempt to pull Damian off of her again, but he's already standing up, the diary in his hands.

I run up next to Chris and help her up off of the ground.

"WHAT THE HELL DAMIAN!" She's glaring daggers at him. Yikes, she's really pissed. She's gripping her side where the book was. Then I realize that Damian was applying pressure to the wound. No wonder.

"A diary? Since when do you have a diary? And none of this makes sense. I didn't know you could have such deep and painful thoughts."

"DAMIAN I AM GONNA KILL YOU!" She makes a motion to lunge at him, but I hold her back. She looks at me, her face filled with anger, but then she calms down. Her body relaxes, and she lets her arm rest on my shoulders.

"What?" Damian says, trying to sound innocent.

"My bullet wound you idiot!"

"Hey I am no idiot! You are! For thinking that I wouldn't find out that you have a diary."

"That's not her diary." I say.

"Oh? Is it yours? Well then everything in here makes even less sense. And who is this Ella girl? I didn't know you could be so murderous."

"Damian, it's Autumn's." Chris rolls her eyes.

"What?! Autumn has a diary? How did it come to be in your possession?"

"She won't tell you." I say in an exasperated tone as I nod my head toward Chris.

"We should tell Father."

"No!" Chris yells just as Damian turns around, about to run up the steps and back into the house.

"Why not? Father will want to know about this."

"We want to try and find out what we can about this diary on our own. Without Bruce." I say. "Initially we were just looking for anything about Jake, but then we got curious about her past."

"So we've been searching through the BatComputer's database to see if we could learn anything based on what's in this diary, but we've had no luck so far." Chris has stopped leaning on me, and she's standing tall, her hand no longer holding her side.

"Then why don't we just ask Cross about the diary?"


	29. My Diary

**Chapter 29: My Diary**

**Damian's POV**

We walk down the hallway. I hold onto the book. Her thoughts are dark. Obviously pained. Not the typical 12 year old you see at school everyday.

_Dear Mom._

_I miss you. I wish you were here. But maybe it was best that you died. Because, if you were still alive, you would still be suffering, you would be with me on the streets, like homeless rats._

_But I'm sorry mom...I couldn't save you from yourself. I couldn't save Nico either. I'm sorry. _

_I miss you though. _

_But if you were here right now. You would be disappointed at what I've become. A hopeless child in an orphanage, waiting to die and seeking revenge._

_Mom I miss you. There are people in this orphanage, the older girls seem to despise me so much, even if I had only been here for some time...that nearly every night, they'd dunk my head in a basin of water._

_But what hurts more, is the beating I give myself every day and every night. The fact that I let my family die. Haunts me, and it will always haunt me, forever._

_I'm sorry Mom...I wish I could tell you that I love you...I wish you died knowing that I loved you…_

I flip quickly through the pages. "Ouch." I hear Drake mumble.

Then I furrow my eyebrows once I see a tiny bookmark in the middle of two pages. I flip to that page. It is the last thing she writes on this book, even if there are a number of blank pages after this last note.

**A/N: READ THIS FIRST! **

**This is somewhat cold, just warning you, well it's not that cold since it's more of the thoughts of a pre-teen year old. But still, if you don't like thinking about Death. Skip this essay thing. Oh and if you do read this, which you probably will out of curiosity. No flaming and don't think too hard about this. Especially if you're depressed. If you're a suicidal, we are hella warning you...DON'T FREAKING READ THIS NOTE!**

_Death, something inevitable. Something that we all have to go through at one point in our lives._

_Do you know that feeling...that, when you were even just a little kid. Did you ever think. What if I die young? What happens after death? Will it all be oblivion? Just darkness, and nothingness? Or just light, and that's it. Will you see the people you love that have passed away again? Is there even such thing as life after death?_

_Or will the world turn empty, and will you just stare into space and nothingness. Until slowly, you fade, and cease to exist._

_Do you wonder...when you die, and you will die. Do you wonder who would miss you? Who would cry over your body as you are being buried into the ground? Do you wish that you could spend a second on Earth even as a ghost after death, to see your loved ones one last time. As they mourn you?_

_I always wondered how it is like to die. And what comes after life. Don't you?_

_But then, I realize as I write this...we are already dying. Slowly. Without even knowing it._

_As every second passes, as I write this to whoever is reading this. I realize that with every step each of us take and every movement we all make here on Earth. We are one step closer to death. And we can't do anything about it._

_Death is truly inevitable, you cannot stop it, no matter how healthy you try to keep your body. Death will get you, one way or another._

_I'm sorry, but it's true, I know you know that. We all do. It just sits at the back of our minds. You may deny this, but someday, you'll realize it too. We are all dying, slowly._

_Death is why we are here on Earth, for me, aside from other things like destiny and faith or any of that stuff that many people believe in. _

_But really...the truth is..._

_Death is the reason why God created us. We are all born to die. _

**A/N: The essay has a good point though.**

We walk down the hallway as quickly as possible.

The three of us stop in front of her room. I hear some shuffling, some mumbling and a soft wince on the other side of the door.

I take the knob and slowly twist it. Still quite dazed about what I have read, but what she wrote had some truth to it though. "Oh hurry up. Quit making this so dramatic!" Carter pushes me to the side and opens the door.

I scowl but I don't say anything, I simply follow behind her and Drake.

The three of us stand side by side in the doorway.

Cross sits on the edge of the bed. She's holding something in her palm and her sleeves are rolled up for some reason. But then when she sees us, she stands up. She rolls her sleeves down and hides whatever she's holding behind her.

She's wearing a gray long sleeved top and jeans. I caught a glimpse of fear and sadness in her eyes, but then they quickly turn into anger and rage.

Her shoulders tense, her back straightens. She looks different. Mostly because of the darkness surrounding her, but suddenly, I see the rage and anger surrounding her, but that rage and that redness, seem to be mixed with something, a mix of something that I cannot pinpoint, something I haven't seen around her before.

It seems like a shadow of...fear? Regret? Like a shadow of a big mistake is consuming her, inside and out.

No, that cannot be true. I do not think Autumn has ever been afraid of anything, she's too busy being eaten up by her own anger to have a realization that she should be afraid.

She clenches her fists and hardens her jaw, her eyebrows furrow and her eyes harden. They become filled with fire and rage.

For a minute, in the darkness. I see Autumn Cross has disappeared into the shadows and all I see is the soul of The Phoenix.

I blink. Autumn's figure has returned but the ghost of redness and blood still floats beside her, inside her.

I realize now, that it was somewhat a big mistake barging into her room unannounced. But it is quite too late to turn back now.

"What?" She growls unhumanly. We say nothing.

Autumn's eyes swim in rage. "WHAT DO YOU THREE WANT? " She says, trying to hold herself back. I can practically see chains on her arms and feet, slowly breaking and loosening.

We still say nothing. I can't say anything. My throat choking in her rage.

"IF NONE OF YOU WANT ANYTHING." She says so coldly, I remember Phoenix. Her voice, reminding me of Thanos.

"THEN GET OUT!" Her eyes widen as she yells. "NOW!" She glares at each of us, the daggers she glares are sharp, thick, and dripping with blood.

Her eyes seem to be not just swimming in rage, but in tears of anger as well.

"NOW." She threatens. But we stand still.

Drake breaks the silence with the clearing of his throat. He steps forward. "Actually, we do want something." He says. His figure seeming so small compared to Cross' shadow.

"What is it." Her voice as sharp as the tip of my favorite sword.

I step forward and make sure that the book is seen in my hands. She looks at it. I can see some of the rage and darkness flowing out of her eyes. But the fear and the heavy heart doesn't fly away.

She raises her head in realization. But now, she no longer expresses any emotion.

"Where did you get that?" She asks calmly, eyebrows furrowed.

Carter steps forward. "It doesn't matter." Autumn glares at my sister. I can tell she's scanning Chris' eyes.

She lets an evil smirk tug at her lips. "Looks like the princess has been snooping around." Cross mocks and the tension in the air eats us all alive.

"I'M NO PRINCESS." Chris snarls.

"Really?" She slightly leans forward "Little miss 'spoiled brat' here thinks she's no princess." Cross chuckles lightly, so coldly. Her voice is quite deep and epic for a girl her age.

"I wonder why you think that." She leans back and crosses her arms over her chest, still smiling with that sharp glare of hers. "I wonder why you think you're no spoiled b****." She snarls.

"Enough." I say firmly. "We are not here to fight for now. We are here for questions."

Cross continues to furrow her eyebrows. "What?" She points to the thin book, then her arm falls back to her side. "That old thing?" Her voice sounds tough and heavy.

And I spot some kind of wet substance on the sleeves, but I no longer question it.

"What about it?"

"First thing's first." Drake says crossing his arms. "Who is Jake?"

"Why do any of you s***s care? Since when did any of you bastards care about my life?" She glares at me. "I know all of you just want me to die." She growls.

"Maybe we do. Life would be better if you got hit by a bus." Chris retorts.

"You are the enemy." I snarl. "You will always be the enemy. And so, we need to know everything about the enemy."

"That's why you took my diary?" She looks at Carter. "So you can find a way to defeat." She holds her hand up and closes her fist. "And to crush your enemy?" Her arm falls back down. Her eyelids lowering a bit. She shrugs. "Makes sense. You bats and birds are all the same anyways."

"Who. Is. Jake." Drake asks firmly, getting back to the point with as much force as a car running towards a brick wall.

"I marvel at your curiosity." She smirks. "He is a friend. From the past." She growls the word _past_. "Why? You jealous, Timmy?" She chuckles, enjoying the somewhat confusion in the air. She looks down and shrugs. "Well, why would you be? You don't care anyways." She looks back at us and smiles.

"Jake is simply a friend." She smiles.

I furrow my eyebrows and clutch the diary. "What is the war?" I ask.

She bites her lower lip as she looks at the diary. Got her.

She looks back at me. "I cannot say. But the war. It was death. That is all I can say." A silence.

"Who are you, truly. Autumn?" Drake asks randomly, sounding very serious.

"Damian says you were a worthy opponent and a somewhat friend." I never truly told Drake that, but as painful as I want to admit it. He has a little bit of skills.

"Chris says," He gestures to Carter. "That you are a monster, you are evil." Drake says with a hard voice.

I can feel a static suddenly taking over my mind.

"Honestly, I think you are quiet and empty. But who are you, really?" Drake furrows his brow. This question makes Cross look at the floor.

Then she glares darkly at all of us. "I am The Phoenix. The Phoenix, was born in fire, and bathed in burning ashes. I am The Phoenix. No one. Not the Bat, or any of you birds will take that monstrous nightmare away from me. I am an evil monster. What Christine says is true." She looks down, the darkness covering her eyes.

"If you were born in fire. Then why are you cold?" Drake asks. I never thought he could be deep as well.

I can see a small smile on her mouth, her pearly white teeth showing, but her eyes still covered with shadows.

"Irony. Is gold. I burn people, I light fire. But on the inside, I am frozen. And numb. I feel nothing, my world froze years ago. It took me some time to realize that. But the cold…" Her voice heavy with pain. "The ice it's so cold but, it burns like fire. I was born in icy fire. In dim light. And burning darkness. My beginning, was my end. I've lived my life, walking through darkness, as fire burned me from head to toe, as the cold ice froze my insides. I've lived my life, walking through death." She says, still looking down.

I see a drop of blood drip down her arm. "None of you know what pain truly is. You have never been burned to death by the bright light of the truth. They say that the truth must dazzle gradually, but I spent my whole life. With my eyes burning. With my world becoming empty! None of you would understand even if I explained it slowly! NONE OF YOU KNOW WHAT PAIN IS! BECAUSE NONE OF YOU KNOW MY LIFE!"

My face hardens, the coldness around me takes over and I move forward. Right in front of her. I point at her chest. "YOU THINK YOU ARE THE ONLY ONE? FIGHTING? Going through this s*** called life? I was trained by assassins! COLD HEARTED HUMANS! I lived most of my years trying to make my mother tell me that she loves me. Trying to make my grandfather proud. BUT THEN THEY GAVE ME UP TO MESS WITH MY FATHER! Now, I'm trying to be the best and replace the past Robins! JUST TO MAKE MY FATHER PROUD. But the problem with Batman being your blood father, is that he shows no emotion! YOU THINK YOU'RE THE ONLY ONE WHO HAS GONE THROUGH S***!?" Suddenly, I feel the rage Autumn had with her. I feel like I want to punch her face. I feel a hand on my shoulder but I shrug it off. Autumn looks into my eyes with rage.

She pushes me backwards, I stumble back but I don't fall. "DON'T F***ING TOUCH ME YOU SPOILED RICH KID!" She looks at all of us. "YOU ARE ALL RICH KIDS!"

"None of you know what pain is! You are all spoiled brats that know nothing about life! LIVING YOUR LIVES LIKE PRINCES AND PRINCESSES! You all had a family! YOU ALL HAD EVERYTHING YOU EVER WANTED! It was all handed to you on a silver platter!"

She yells, looking at all of us. "YOU LIVED YOUR LIVES THE EASY WAY! YOU ARE ALL JUST LYING TO YOURSELVES! THINKING ABOUT HOW HORRIBLE YOUR LIVES ARE! Open your damn eyes! You all lived happy lives!"

"STOP IT!" I can hear Drake's unusually loud voice yell.

He can feel the rage too. I clench my teeth at Autumn. My breathing becoming unusually quicker. I can feel hot tears in my eyes.

Who does she think she is? Thinking that we all had great lives? That we all have a happily ever after?!

"Stop feeling sorry about yourself by telling us that we have lived like kings and queens!" I spit.

"I WAS REPLACED! DO YOU KNOW HOW IT FEELS TO BE REPLACED? TO FAIL YOUR FATHER? WATCH AS HE DIED? THEN BECOMING...something." Drake suddenly gets angry.

His voice lowers. "Becoming Robin...to try and be the best at it. And not just be a cheap Replacement for Dick, for Jason! I didn't have the strength that Dick and Jason had, but I had my wits. I thought that Batman would've been okay with that. But when I came back from a simple mission. I came back to find out that...THAT ONE THING WAS RIPPED AWAY FROM ME AND GIVEN TO SOMEONE ELSE! Right in front of my eyes. You don't know how it feels to be replaced! To feel like...like a cheap knock off, that is easily replaced by...something...possibly better. Don't say that I had the easy way!" Drake yells, clenching his teeth and balling his fists.

I can't see them, but I know that there are hot tears in her eyes. "You've gone through nothing real. It's all in your heads!"

"Shut up! You know nothing about my life!" Drake punches her face and she falls to the floor, she doesn't get up. "You obviously know nothing about me!" Drake yells.

"You all have gone through nothing!" She yells, just sitting beside her bed.

Chris chuckles lightly. "Nothing? NOTHING?! We may not have gone through as much as you, but we certainly haven't gone through NOTHING! Dick's parents fell to their death RIGHT IN FRONT OF HIM. Both of Tim's parents are DEAD. He saw his father's dead body! Damian was raised by assassins! He didn't exactly have the prince's life! His own mother gave him up! Everyone here has been through a lot of pain and suffering. Definitely not NOTHING."

"And what about you, spoiled princess?" She snarls.

"Compared to everyone else here I got the easy life. I didn't witness my parents' death. I wasn't given up. But I lived my entire life thinking that I didn't have anyone who loved me! My life wasn't as horrible as everyone else's, but it was horrible for me. I had never experienced the level of pain everyone else has, so yea. For me that was horrible. Even though you see it as nothing." She chuckles a little more, her eyes hard and filled with anger. It's unnatural.

"But to see everything we've been through as NOTHING...well, that's bulls***. YOU DON'T KNOW OUR LIVES. HOW CAN YOU SAY ANYTHING ABOUT OUR LIVES?! Do you know what the worst part of my life is? The moment where I felt the most pain? THE MOMENT I SAW MY ENTIRE FAMILY BLEEDING ON THE FLOOR! The only family I've ever known. The only people who actually CARED for me...were IN PAIN! RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME! And what could I do? NOTHING THAT WOULD'VE GOTTEN RID OF THE SIGHT OR THE PAIN! All I could do was go after you! THE B**** THAT DID THAT TO MY FAMILY! So maybe you're right. I am a spoiled princess who knows nothing about _true_ pain. But I know the hardships of this screwed up world. I've seen what the world _really _is. I've seen more than what a 13 year old should see. And you? You're just a living example of what this world really is. What this world can do to people. FULL OF PAIN AND ANGER AND SOULLESS!"

Autumn crawls into a ball. Weak…

But the pain of not being cared for is filling me up, I feel like I'm about to explode. I look around the room. It's still dark, with a bit of light coming in. But every one of us, looks broken. I just sit here on the wall, my back just resting on the cold wall.

My arms on the floor as I just look down.

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP! STOP IT!" Autumn yells, holding herself. "I DON'T WANT ANYMORE! I DON'T WANT ANYMORE!" What is going on? What is she yelling?

"Just stop! JUST STOP IT!" Her eyes are closed shut as she holds herself.

None of us do anything. Drake just sits on the other side of the wall, in the same position as I am. Carter is in the corner of the room, arms crossed, with a blank face as she looks out the window, ignoring everything else around her.

Autumn is just kneeling on the ground, clutching her head. "STOP IT! STOP IT!" She yells. Suddenly, her clothes catch bright fire, including her hair.

Drake's eyes widen and he leans forward. "Autumn!"

"GO AWAY!" She screams. The fire brightens.

Then the fire suddenly becomes dimer and then goes out. She just lies on the floor, still holding her head in her hands, but she looks as if she's calmed down a bit.

Carter turns her head away from the window and looks down at Autumn. Then she looks up at me.

"We aren't done here."

"We all just started yelling some random s***, and we got answers, but not _complete _answers. We didn't _really _get what we actually stepped into this room for. Just some more drama queen action. I don't know about you two, but I'm not leaving until I get some _real_ answers."

I look at the hardened Carter, then down at Autumn, who looks broken down and completely ruined. How are we supposed to get answers out of her?

"We won't get anything else out of her Carter. We should just leave."

"No."

"Chris c'mon. Look at her! She's not going to say anything."

"No."

Drake moves closer to Carter. "Chris. Stop being stubborn. Let's leave her alone."

Carter just stares at him, an emotionless face on. After a few seconds, she speaks again.

"I know _we_ won't get any answers out of her...but we can't leave yet."

"Why not?"

She points to the door just as the handle turns, and Father's large, intimidating figure comes into view.

**Bruce's POV**

"What is going on in here?" I say in my Batman voice.

I heard a lot of yelling coming from up here, so I came to check it out. When I enter the room, I find Chris pointing at my chest, Tim right in front of her, Damian just staring at me, a book in his hands, and Autumn on the floor, crawled up in a ball, her hair a mess. Looks like she was pulling at it.

"We just wanted to ask Cross some questions."

"About what?"

He's about to say something when Chris throws a glare at him. He closes his mouth. I glare at Chris. She just glares back at me. We glare at each other until Tim steps in between us.

"Can we not do this here? I think Autumn needs some time alone." He looks back at her. She has her head bowed and her face in her hands.

"Fine." I say gruffly. "Autumn, I will talk to you tomorrow." I usher my children out of her room. Damian just stares straight ahead with an emotionless face on, Tim looks back at Autumn with a look of...pity? And Chris just looks angry as she exits the room. The last thing I see is Autumn's head moving slightly upward as I close the door to her room.

"What. Happened." I narrow my eyes.

The three of them just look at each other. Suddenly, Chris violently grabs the book from Damian and hands it to me without making eye contact. I take the book from her and stare at it's cover. _My Diary_. Whose diary is it? It can't be Damian's or Tim's, so it's either Chris' or Autumn's. But why would they be in Autumn's room? Maybe she stole it from Chris'? Or maybe it's the other way around.

I open the book and flip through it, scanning every page and catching only a phrase from each. From what I read, the way of writing is too deep to be Chris'. And it isn't her handwriting. So it's Autumn's diary. But how did they get it? She obviously didn't hand it to them.

"How did you get Autumn's diary?" I glare at Chris. I already know the answer but I need the truth coming from her.

She shrugs. "I saw some stuff in her room, got curious, looked around for a bit, and saw this on her bed. It was asking to be read." She has her arms crossed and is avoiding eye contact.

"You aren't supposed to go snooping around other people's rooms. You should respect their privacy."

"I'm just following my father's example." She turns her head and glares back at me.

"You know you aren't supposed to steal. This is private to Autumn."

"Well maybe I wanted to make you proud and learn something new about her." She narrows her eyes at me.

"Christine, I don't like your attitude."

"Well I don't like how you're only scolding _me_ when two of your sons were in on this too." She turns her head away and looks at the door to her room.

God, she is very hard to deal with sometimes.

"Tell me everything. From when the diary was stolen to now." I look at Tim.

He sighs. "Chris came into the Batcave and showed me the diary. We started looking stuff up in the diary through the computer's database, but we couldn't find anything. Her entries were more emotional than factual. We decided to confront Autumn about it, try to get some answers. Damian decided to tag along."

"I did not 'tag along!' I'm the one who suggested that we confront Cross!" Damian points to himself, and he looks as if he's about to attack Tim.

"Quiet Damian." I glare at him, and he immediately calms down, but he's still glaring at Tim.

"Continue."

"We came into her room to find her...cutting...herself." I furrow my eyebrows. I need to confront her about that. "She answered our questions about someone she wrote about in her diary and what she referred to as 'the war,' but her answers still left room for more questions. We were going to ask her more about the diary, but I decided to actually try to get to know Autumn."

"Look where that brought us." Chris scoffs.

Tim continues, ignoring Chris' comment. "Things got emotional, for both Autumn and us. She started criticizing our lives, telling us that we were princes and princesses living in a carefree world. That ticked us off. We all started yelling, and Autumn had some kind of breakdown. After things calmed down a bit, we were going to leave, but then you came."

I contemplate everything Tim just told me. This family has had so many problems. These days, it's because of Autumn, but before, it was because of all the tragedies that came down upon this family. Things lightened up a bit when Chris came into the family. She didn't have a tragic life. I adopted her to protect her, and to let her meet her brother. Then Damian came along, bringing a new personality into the family. He was so violent, it was like having another Jason in the family. But then Jason came back, bringing Autumn along with him. They've broken this family even more than it was before, but then they became part of the family. At first I thought things were getting better, but they ended up getting worse. Chris and Autumn have gotten into two fights already, and Chris doesn't want to accept Autumn. No one else in the family wants to. But I have to try and make them.

"Why haven't any of you accepted Autumn into the family?" I stop glaring at them and try to look more like a father than Batman.

"I already answered that three days ago." Tim and Damian give Christine a curious look.

"I know." I pause and look at her. She's still avoiding eye contact. "Why won't you two accept her?"

There's a short pause.

"Because of everything she did to us." Tim responds.

"Jason did those things too, not just Autumn. But you've already accepted him. Why not accept Autumn?"

"Because Todd was already a part of this family. Cross never was." He didn't say "never _will _be." Maybe they will eventually accept her. But what about Chris?

"But the only Jason you've ever known was The Red Hood. The only Autumn you've known is The Phoenix. You only know them as criminals. And yet, you accept Jason and not Autumn. Why?"

I hear Damian mutter, "That's not true." But before I can ask him what he means, Chris speaks.

"Because _you_ haven't accepted Autumn."

"Yes I have." What is she talking about? I'm the one trying to get _them _to accept her.

Chris turns her head and looks at me with her medium blue eyes.

"No. You haven't. You say you have, you think you have, but really, you haven't. When you accepted Jason, we had a party. When you accepted Autumn, you didn't tell us. We had to find out for ourselves. When I came into the family, when each of us came into the family, you gave us the most attention out of the rest for the first few weeks. You barely pay any attention to Autumn. And when you do, you're harsh with her. You're harsh with us, but you don't show it as much. You tell us that she's your daughter, that she's my-_our _sister, but you don't treat her like one. You say that she's a part of the family, but she isn't. I'm not saying that because I don't believe she isn't, but because _you _don't believe it. Just because she's living with us doesn't mean she's in our family." Her eyes are no longer narrowed, and now she's just staring at me. She doesn't look cold or angry, nor does she look emotionless. She looks a little...sad. I don't know why, but she does.

"We haven't accepted her - we haven't let the fact that she lives with us sink in - because you haven't, and kids follow their parent's example. Once you accept her, then _maybe..._maybe we will too."

Wow...I didn't know Chris could have such deep thoughts. I just stare at her, not portraying my emotions...my thoughts. Tim is staring at her with wide eyes, and Damian is just looking at her.

"Father, she is right." He turns his head to me. "I want to make you proud. _We_ all want to make you proud...by doing what you want of us. Deep down, I want to accept Cross so you will be proud of me, but it is hard to overlook her crimes against us. It would be easier if you did too."

"Bruce. I feel bad for her. She's been through so much, and we aren't helping her in any way. I think we're making things worse. But I haven't done anything to make her feel welcome because no one else has. No one other than Alfred. Jason isn't really the type of person to help her in these situations, and Alfred's doing well. But I think she needs more than just them to help her through this. Damian, and even Chris, feel the same way, but you are our dad, like you are Robin's, Nightingale's, and Red Robin's mentor. We still follow your example. We follow your example more than we listen to your words. I know you're stubborn, and you listen to yourself more than you listen to us, but just...think about it. But if you start acting differently toward Autumn, then I will start to accept her into the family."

"I will do the same Father."

Tim nudges Chris lightly, and she sighs. "I'll try to accept her, too, Dad."

**Autumn's POV**

Everything was fine earlier. I walked Coby to the orphanage funded by the Wayne Foundation. But at that moment. Something hit me. A dash of fear hit me as if I fell down from the top of the Statue of Liberty.

I overcame it as I dropped Coby off with that kind looking woman in that huge orphanage. The genuine smile on his face made me forget about the fear crawling up my spine and spreading through my heart. But it didn't last long. Once I was twenty feet away from the orphanage.

I felt my heart drop to my stomach. The fear took over and I felt like bursting into tears in that alley I walked down earlier.

When I went back to my room here in the manor. The fear turned into regret and anger, not towards Dad, or Mom (that would never happen, it's not her fault.) Or, Batman, or anyone. Well, except me.

HOW COULD I HAVE BEEN SO STUPID?

I already have the fear of losing Jason, my brother. Because everyone I have ever cared for left, and never came back. I once told myself, I would not care about anyone anymore. Because I know that they'll just end up dying, like everyone else I've ever cared about. Then, when I found out that Jason was my brother. I never thought of it before, but now that I think of it. Fear has been slowly eating me up. Now, I'm gonna care about someone else, Coby, and I told him I would be his sister. That last kid that was my younger brother, died in a gunning crossfire between The Joker, and someone else.

I don't want to drag anyone else into this messed up s*** I call my life.

I don't want the world to take away Coby the same way the world took away Nico, my mom, my dad.

When I got home, I started punching the walls out of anger with myself. I should have just left Coby alone, at least he would die in peace and quickly either out of hunger or a gun to the head. He wouldn't have to go through any s****. Because I know that in the end, he'll get hurt, or maybe he'll die…

I know I don't know the kid so well or maybe at all. But no little boy deserves to be dragged down with me. If I'm going down, I wanna go down alone making sure no one innocent can ever feel the pain I am feeling right now.

This is my fault...it's already my fault why Nico died, why Mom committed suicide. Then it's gonna be my fault again how Coby will die!

I will protect that boy. I can't turn down my promise by staying away from him. I don't want to break the kid's heart. I brought his hopes up, nothing's more painful than getting your hopes up, only to have them crashed down right in your face. I know. I've been there.

So I will protect him. This is a second chance that I get, I won't waste it. I'll be the best sister ever. Even if we don't live under the same roof.

But...the guilt, fear and anger towards myself, wasn't half the reason why I'm drowning in my own tears in the dark right now. Or why I was cutting myself earlier.

I was laying down in bed, mentally screaming at myself for being such a dumbass.

Then all of a sudden, out of nowhere. As if that "thing" that made me turn just jumped out of a box that I never even knew was there.

Everything came crashing down on me at that moment.

The guilt of being unable to be there for my brother, Nico, when he died. The question of "What did he last think of when he died?" Bothers me so much. I wasn't there when he was shot, I wasn't there to take the bullet for him. Or to hold him and cry as he bled on the floor of the market. All the time I spent taking beatings from papa, was wasted. I took those beatings to let Nico live longer, but instead, he died when he was out of my sight.

The anger and regret of not being able to save my mom from herself...it burns me, I might as well be walking on the sun's hot surface barefooted. I worked so hard, for food, for water, for money, for a place for the two of us to sleep. I took in everything that Mom did to me while she was sick. I let Papa beat me, just to keep the promise I said I would keep...even if Mom didn't even remember my name. I went through the pain of watching her break, of seeing her hurting and become depressed and I couldn't do anything to make her happy, I listened to every painful, harsh word she said to me. I took in all the injury she inflicted on me and sometimes I didn't even bother to patch myself up. I went through all that, everything that she did to me, hoping that My Mom would come back. I went through everything, only to hold her cold, lifeless body close to me. Only to try and carry her to the clinic on my back and being told that there was nothing that could have been done for her!

Then, there was Dad. Well, he wasn't really like a Father to me. More like a mentor, a trainer, a teacher. But that was pretty much it. I'll admit there were some times that he was like a dad to me, but all that was simply forgotten the next day. We trained, and trained, and trained. I studied, and studied, and studied. I was even forced to learn how to talk by two! I was forced to take experimental drugs that could possibly boost a child's mind! Dad didn't even care about the side effects! But I trained, and just kept training. You know why? I tried, so hard. Just to make him proud of me! But every time, I showed him a success, he only looked at me in disappointment and pointed out the flaws in my achievment! Every time, that I showed him some achievement that I was proud of, he hardly looked at me at all! Everytime we trained. Everytime I perfected a move, he just looked at me in disappointment! He wanted me to be perfect at everything! My training, my studies! He never even thought of what I felt! He didn't even care about what I thought! I mean...I know that there is a possibility, of 0.01% that he actually loved me. That he actually cared about me. He trained me, and sent me to many places to train for the war and be able to win but...it...I feel like...he was just using me to win the war. He knew I was gonna be the one to lead the team that was gonna destroy The Unknown...and so he trained me. But I feel that to him...that was my only purpose, to train and win the war. I don't think he cared about what happened next.

But...I tried make him proud...so experimental drugs may have worn off by now, they were only for me to get on my training wheels anyways, they must have worn off when I was four or five. But no matter what….drugs, or no drugs...I tried so, so hard to make him proud of me. I tried to make him actually care about me. Even when we moved back to Gotham, I still kept on trying by working so much with tech and showing off my skills. But he didn't seem to care. After he died...I always wondered, while I was on the streets...was he ever proud of me? Even just once? ...I guess...I'll never know now, or ever.

Now, I'm just crying and muttering to myself. If only they knew what my life was like...even they would see themselves as princes and princesses.

_SHUT UP AUTUMN! There are so many people out there that probably have it worse than you!_

_Nah, don't think so._

_Who cares about those other people?_

_You're so conceited, always thinking about yourself!_

_Why does it matter? It's all so pointless anyways…_

_NO IT ISN'T!_

_You know what, forget about it. Just put on a fake smile and suck it up!_

_Actually, I agree. Nothing really matters, at all. We're all gonna die someday. It's why we're here on Earth, right?_

_WHAT! NO! THAT'S NOT TRUE!_

_Fine. Blind yourself._

_I don't know about you guys...whatever. But really. What's the point of anything? Why does Autumn keep on going? What's the point? It's not like anybody cares about us._

"Shut up!" I sit up by the bed and hug my knees and stare at floor with blood shot eyes. Yeah, this inner war has been happening since can so many demons fit in such a small and tiny mind? Well, one thing's for sure...it hurts so bad!

I cut myself. Because earlier. I broke. I felt nothing. I felt numb. I felt dead, inside. I felt like I was slowly dying on the inside. I get that feeling a lot. It started when, I was four. I didn't even know the reason why I got that feeling. But I just got it. I felt like my knees were about to give out. Like there's no longer any point in fighting. I couldn't even feel the blood pumping in my heart. I felt nothing. I feel like that most days, but I haven't felt like that since earlier, ever since I moved into the manor. So I thought, earlier, that cutting myself would make me feel something. It did make me wince because I know self-harm is bad. But, I can't help what I feel!

At school, earlier, after running into Jake. I went to the bathroom, locked myself in a cubicle, got my blue paper clip from my pocket, rolled up my sleeves then I scratched myself. Using the sharpish part of the paper clip to scratch my arms as I mentally screamed and punched the walls. That's how desperate I was for pain earlier.

There were times between the day when I felt fatigue taking over. Like three minutes after Biology started, and before lunch ended. Sometimes I used the big paper clip, the size of half of my finger, to scratch my arms as I hid my arms under the table, unnoticed. I tried throwing that paper clip away, but...I found a yellow one in my bag the same size as the blue one. I fell into temptation. I didn't stop.

That's why now, there's a lot of red scratches on my arms, they hurt and are irritating, but I've gone through worse. I don't just do this for fun because I'm insane. I do this because I hate myself. I'm horrible and stupid! I'm good for nothing and worthless like what Papa said! I'm a criminal and evil like Christine said! All I'm good at is faking my smile!

My shoulders drop, my arms loosen. And my world stops. I know where this is going. I don't like it. I collapse on the floor, my arms spread on the floor. My heart stops then right into my stomach and all my feelings flowing away. My tears become dry as I stare at the ceiling with wide eyes. My breathing slows down as the rest of the demons and voices keep quiet, everything is silent even my thoughts, I can't even hear my own heart beat

I feel like a door that has been locked for ages has just swung opened, and let whatever monstrosity out.

It's walking towards me, quietly, it's footsteps ever so lightly. Not making one sound. It doesn't even grin at me like it usually does as it approaches me

The strongest demon of all. The worst demon...it doesn't even need to beat me up like the other demons do to hurt me and make me fall.

_It's all over Autumn. Don't try and fight me, you know you can't. Its pointless. You are nothing. Nobody cares about you. Nobody wants you. You are nothing. You're just a kid, an unwanted kid, with one too many sins. Nobody would ever want you. Nobody would ever care about you. You will never be a part of this family. Stop dreaming. You are nothing. You will always be nothing. Who would want a kid like you? Or a person like you? You're fat and ugly, so arrogant, so imperfect, so stupid; possibly the stupidest person in the whole world, you are so worthless and good for nothing, you can't do anything right. If you died now, no one would care. So quit dreaming that someone out there cares and would be there for you. You are nothing. So why not just shove a bullet down your throat? It's not like anyone would care if you killed yourself. Just end it Autumn. Just end it. Who would care anyways?_

My eyelids lower as I stare at the ceiling, laying on the floor. I can't feel anything. I feel dead. All my feelings were eaten up by this fat large demon.

That's why this is the worst demon. It comes and goes, but when it does come, it's so hard to make it go, it's so hard to lock it up again.

Sometimes, it lasts for hours, sometimes for one night, but I have a feeling that this demon would feast on my feelings for days.

This demon bites, and when it does bite, it hurts. Yet, at the same time...it doesn't hurt at all. Because I don't feel anything, yet it still feels like something. Well, pain comes in many different forms.

But the worst thing about this demon, is that it only states the truth…

...

Sometimes I wonder, if I died, would anyone care?

Sometimes I wonder, if I died, would anyone care?

Sometimes I wonder, if I died, would anyone care?

Sometimes I wonder, if I died, would anyone care?

**Sometimes I wonder, if I died, would anyone care?**

Sometimes I wonder, if I died, would anyone care?

Sometimes I wonder, if I died, would anyone care?

Sometimes I wonder, if I died, would anyone care?

Sometimes I wonder, if I died, would anyone care?

**Sometimes I wonder, if I died, would anyone care?**

Sometimes I wonder, if I died, would anyone care?

Sometimes I wonder, if I died, would anyone care?

Sometimes I wonder, if I died, would anyone care?

Sometimes I wonder, if I died, would anyone care?

**Sometimes I wonder, if I died, would anyone care?**

Sometimes I wonder, if I died, would anyone care?

Sometimes I wonder, if I died, would anyone care?

Sometimes I wonder, if I died, would anyone care?

I guess not.

**A/N: Might want to guess what Autumn's going through. Many people are going through this too, a lot of you might be able to relate, some of you might not be able to relate at all (the lucky ones). But it hurts, a lot. Seriously. Not joking.**

**Oh and that last part came from a picture, or a quote? idk**

**Oh yeah, review please! Cause man, we are really wondering what you guys think so far. **


	30. The Squad

**Chapter 30:** **The Squad**

**Autumn's POV**

I walk down the hallways of Gotham Academy. I have my hands in my two skirt pockets and my head down as I walk slowly. I got bored waiting for the homeroom teacher, and Jake said he was gonna sign up for journalism. He asked me to come with him but I didn't want to. He didn't come back, but think I saw him talking to a fair skinned Asian girl with dark brown, really short hair, her bangs clipped away from her face, and her eyes kinda chinky. She was carrying an interesting bag on her back, what's it called again? Oh yeah, Camo. And she has those big nerdy glasses that are obviously fake. I think she's our classmate, I don't know. Well, they were talking about something. Whatever.

So I got really bored earlier. I felt so tired, but I didn't wanna sleep. I feel empty but still as if the whole world is on my back. So earlier, I slowly walked to the bathroom with my head down and locked myself in a cubicle. I took out my new yellow paperclip, since I lost my red one yesterday. And I started adding new wounds and scratches to my scarred arms. I didn't wanna bring my knife today, I didn't wanna use it since it's waay to messy, with the blood, I won't be able to clean my arm in time. Plus, I need to learn to stop cutting, it's already so hard to have to wear long sleeved clothes or a jacket in the manor whenever I leave my room. I don't want Jason or Alfred or Mister Wayne to see my wounds and scars.

Speaking of which. I wonder what Jason has been up to lately. He hasn't been around the Manor except for dinner time. Whenever I do see him, we don't even talk! He always just seems ignore me. Almost as much as his family is ignoring me! Maybe...he doesn't care anymore...

And Mister Wayne still hasn't spoken to me like he told me he would last night. I don't think he cares either...I wouldn't blame them for not caring, who could possible care about me?

I walk into the classroom. Everyone is already seated and the teacher is already talking. All their eyes turn on me.

"You are late, Miss Cross." She looks at her notebook and marks it with her pen. "Take a seat."

I just look down as I nod slightly. "Yes mam." I silently and slowly walk towards my seat, near the window.

She continues talking to the class. I look around at my classmates.

I can see some girls whispering with each other, with judgemental faces on. Some students don't seem to care and just keep their heads forward. I glance at Mackenzie, and she's just smiling and whispering with her friends as she glares at me.

I also take a glance at Jake. "Class, pay attention." The teacher says. Jake just looks at me, as if asking why I was late. I just shrug at him with a blank face. I look back at the board. I stare at the teacher for a minute, but once her voice becomes distant, I look down and lay my hands on the table. I pull the sleeves forward to hide the red scratches nearly reaching the back of my hands already.

Then there's Jake. The best friend. For some reason, he cares for me. I don't know why. Who could care about me? Why would he even care about me? I don't get it! Why would anyone on this planet care about me? Hell, _I_ don't even care about me! Why would he?

I just slightly shake my head and rub my wrists as my hands drop to my lap. I look back up at the teacher.

I feel empty and hollow today, it isn't close to joy. I don't really like feeling this way, like nothing in the world ever matters. Like the whole world is silent but so noisy at the same time... Like I'm dead. Or like I want to die. I don't like it. But it's better than all the voices in my head screaming and yelling at the same time that my own thoughts are being blocked.

I sigh and head slowly falls on the table, on top of my arm. I wince slightly as I feel the stinging pain on my arms. But I don't take my chin off of my arms.

I'm tired. Weird. It's early in the morning. But I'm tired, I wanna give up. I just wanna die.

That's not a bad idea. If I killed myself...who would miss me right? Who would care? What difference would it make? Everyone would just be happier without me. Everyone's lives would be better if I died. Or maybe it wouldn't change at all. Either way. If I killed myself. That wouldn't change anything. It's not like anyone would care…

I blink. I just remembered something...I still have to go to the orphanage later, after school! That's right...Coby, my promise. Another escape will occur later, wait...who on this entire planet could ever escape from Alfred?!

I guess I just have to keep my fingers crossed and hope that maybe Grayson or Mister Wayne would pick us up today. Hopefully.

**Tim's POV**

I stare forward at the whiteboard. The teacher's voice is getting lost in my own thoughts. It's just sometimes, the lesson gets boring since I've already studied it on my own, and I understand it already.

What happened last night? We all just...broke down...we all just started screaming and yelling at each other...I don't even remember what Damian yelled anymore.

I keep on trying to remember but, I can't. All I can remember is his mumbling. I heard what Chris yelled, loud and clear. But everything else...I don't remember. I guess my brain turned off for once, and I just lost control of my temper...I don't even remember what I said anymore. That's happened before. Sometimes, I loose control over my temper.

Autumn does that. She has the ability to mess with our minds. She can make all of us lose our tempers and make me turn off my mind. It's frustrating.

I copy whatever's on the board, but that's all I really need. I have the book and I already did the research on the Old Kingdom of Egypt. I already memorized the list of leaders, and I know their way of life and how the Old Kingdom declined. I did all the research, I even went a bit overboard by researching the Middle and New Kingdoms of Egypt. I read the school book, I looked for books in the public library and at the library at home, and I copied it all in my notebook.

Now, my teacher is simply discussing to everyone else in the class what I already know.

I sound cocky, I know.

My mind drifts into another topic as I continue writing while thinking (multi-tasking).

Guess what else is weird and kinda frustrating…

Bruce still hasn't taken down that Robin uniform inside the glass case in the Cave.

Jason is back. Everything is all good with them. So why is that case still there?

Even now, everytime I pass by the case. I can still feel a ghost watching me through the tattered mask, right inside the case.

It still haunts me. Which is really weird, because Jason is back. It's all good now...right?

I mean...he hardly talks to us. And every morning, whenever we eat breakfast, he always looks like he could explode any second. He holds a strong silence, and furrowed eyebrows.

It's weird…

Isn't everything fine now? I mean, aside from Autumn…

But everything is okay now, right?

But if everything is okay now...then why does it feel like everything's not…

I feel like I need to keep my guard up at all times...like something dreadful could happen anytime soon.

What will happen?

What will go wrong?

What if...it's not all good? What if Jason changes his mind and decides to leave again with Autumn?

What if Autumn ends up killing us all in our sleeps? Well, it's not like any of us get sleep anyways. But Autumn is unpredictable. I can't risk trusting her, no matter how bad I feel for her.

What if Jason leaves again? I doubt that he hasn't thought about it… he hasn't talked to any of us lately. I think he's trying to keep his distance. But why?

What if Dick decides to leave for Bludhaven? He told me that he wanted to before...he has considered it. He told me. What if all of a sudden, he just can't handle Bruce's annoyance? I'll be honest. Bruce can be a bad father at times.

What if Damian kills me in my sleep? I still don't trust the Demon until now.

But my worst fear is...what if someone dies?!

What if Chris dies!? She's always the one getting hurt!

How could the family possibly cope if she dies?

How would Damian react? I know that I would mourn her for weeks, we all would.

WHAT WOULD BRUCE DO? I remember, how he was when Jason died…

He was always so reckless and angry after Jason's death. Batman would have gotten himself killed! That's why I became Robin…

Because Batman needs a Robin. Back then, Dick didn't want to go back to being Robin, he was with the Team as Nightwing, he was too stubborn.

I became Robin, I became...Jason's replacement…

But it helped...

What would happen to Dick?

I saw Dick cry before...once, twice…it wasn't pretty...to see your happy-go-lucky brother just break into millions of pieces like that...it was...traumatizing…

He was crying over a picture of a fifteen year old Jason...

...who seemed to be celebrating his birthday at that time. I saw the picture. The fifteen year old sat on his usual seat on the dining table at home. He was staring at a big chocolate cake with fifteen candles lighted on top of it. There was a triangular party hat nearly falling off of his jet black hair. He wore light blue pajamas as he just stared at the cake with his chest hitting the end of the table, his eyebrows furrowed as if he was wondering what was going on or just realizing that there was a chocolate cake sitting on the table right in front of him.

I wonder what he was thinking on that day.

Seeing Dick extremely sad like that...it just didn't feel right…

Dick is always smiling...but sometimes I wonder, if that smile on his face...is just a mask to hide the pain he really feels.

We all have masks...we all have secrets to keep...I'll admit...I am also hiding something...I'm hiding something from myself…

But what would happen to all of us if another tragedy came through the window and smacked us all in the face? We're all tough, but inspite of everything that's happened lately, I don't know if we'd be able to sustain ourselves. We're all human.

Maybe we'd all end up breaking down...like Autumn.

It annoys me how she can mess with us so easily.

Why is Autumn still here? She knows she's hated, but why does she stay?

Well, she's not hated by every single person in the family. I think that there's hope for her.

I feel really bad for her. She's lost almost everyone she loves, and now all she's got left is Jason. Maybe that's why she hasn't left. She doesn't wanna risk losing him.

"Mr. Drake, I asked you a question." I'm pulled away from my thoughts when the teacher's voice invades my brain.

"Um sorry, what was the question again?" This is embarrassing. I hear some of my fellow classmates snigger, but I ignore them. I'm way smarter than them.

The teacher has an annoyed expression on her face. "What is the period of time in which the Old Kingdom thrived?"

"From 2686 BC to 2181 BC." I don't even need to think that hard to come up with the answer.

"Correct. Thank you, but next time I hope you will answer immediately." She turns around and continues writing on the board. This is going to be a long class.

****Break****

**Damian's POV**

Well last night was intense.

My idiot of a teacher isn't even teaching us! He's just sitting at his desk, doing something at his computer while eating a large bag of Fritos. Apparently it's "free time." So while other people are talking about stupid things like "when to go to the mall" and "my cat barfed all over my sister, it was epic!" (Tt. They don't even know the meaning of the word), I'm just sitting here, thinking about last night.

Who knew Drake would actually punch a girl! A girl he likes! Tt. He's still a weakling.

But the way he lashed out...it just suddenly came out.

Same with me. And Chris, probably.

I hate how Cross does that to us. Altering our emotions. Toying with our minds. I just want to put my hands in my brain and rip her out with force.

Should I call her Autumn or Cross? I always knew her as Autumn...so now it feels odd calling her Cross. But I call everyone by their last names: Grayson, Pennyworth, Drake, Carter...then of course there's the exception of Mother and Father and Grandfather.

I guess I'll just keep switching back and forth until I become comfortable with Cross.

But last night...

How the hell could Autumn say we don't know what pain is?! No one loves me! No one has ever said those three words to me! _I love you_. Not even Grayson, who goes around saying stupid rainbow and unicorn s*** to everyone he meets.

Why did I have to be cursed with such a horrible life?! A mother who wanted me to be perfect and mess with my father. A father who rarely expresses emotion towards anyone! Carter has gotten more emotion from him than me! Maybe even Drake! I bet he got a hug from Father when he saw his father's dead body.

Why couldn't someone else have my life?

Tt. And Autumn has the nerve to say I've gone through nothing.

I have to admit though, I never expected Carter to express her deep thoughts, especially towards Father. Everyone has deep thoughts, but not everyone talks them out.

_RIIINNGGGGGG! _God that bell can be annoying. Finally, lunch. I'm starving.

****Break****

**Chris' POV**

I'm not very hungry.

I take a seat next to Laurel and Tyler. When I take out my food, I just stare at it. It looks so delicious, but last night's events are getting to me. I didn't sleep well. Something was just bothering me. And it still is.

Why was Autumn cutting herself? Is she really that depressed? Bruce will probably confront her about that.

But the things she said to us...how could she be so stupid? Saying we don't know pain...that we've all gone through nothing?

I mean, I haven't gone through a lot, and I hate feeling like a princess, but still. Definitely not nothing.

Princess...I hate it when people call me that, and I get that a lot since my dad is a billionaire. I always see princesses as spoiled and getting every single damn thing they desire. Well, not the Disney princesses. But I'm not a princess. The bullies in my class used to call me that...I just had to live with it.

My life isn't a fantasy. It's not a nightmare, either. And it's definitely not normal. Wait, then what is it?

It's just...life, I guess. Life is unfair, always throwing curveballs, both good and bad. It brings you pain and suffering, but it also gives you fortune and happy times. But I think nowadays, I have more agony in my life.

Autumn's voice echoes through my head. _You've all gone through nothing!_

It annoys the crap outta me.

I've lived in an orphanage my entire life, the entire time thinking that my parents had abandoned me at birth, that I had no family...no one that actually loved me. Well, there was Ms. Blanchard, she was nice and all, but she wasn't the definition of _family. _Even though I spent most of my life with her, she was only my mother figure. Not my _mother._

Mother...mom...those words hurt. I've never said those words to anyone, and I never will...

I don't have a mom.

I know that Ms. Blanchard tried her hardest to be my mom, but she never could be. I knew that from the beginning. A mom spends most of her time with her daughter. Ms. Blanchard spent most of her time taking care of all the other kids in the orphanage. She didn't pay as much attention to me when it came to needs because I was pretty independent and smart at a young age. She didn't even know that I was bullied there! Damn I hate bullies. To her, everyone there was an angel, even the ones who were disobedient a lot. She was so naive, so unaware of what the world truly is.

Since she didn't really watch over me a lot (it seemed like she did just because she cared for me the most, but really she didn't, she was too busy worrying about all the other orphans), I found a bunch of criminal investigation television shows when I was maybe 8.

Ever since then, I've been interested in criminal investigation and mystery (well I've always been interested in mystery) and all that stuff. That's why Batman intrigued me so much. Whenever I did watch the news, Batman was always a highlight. Even though across the country superhuman beings are defending us, I never really believed Batman was one of them. All the other kids told tales that hinted that he had super strength or that he could fly, but I never really believed them. I just thought of him as a man who was determined to ending crime and injustice in this plagued city. That's why he was my hero. He was determined, learning what he needed to learn, doing what he needed to do, for his cause.

I knew to do that, he needed to study criminal science, criminology, forensics, and everything that involves catching criminals. But he also needed to be intelligent, outsmarting all of those villains, such as the Riddler. I suck at riddles, so whenever we fight him, I always struggle. Batman, however, solves them in an instant.

And his strength and agility and skills...I always wondered how long he had to train.

But anyway, before I knew it, I was 10. Double digits. I was growing up. I realized that I may live in that orphanage until I turned 18. That really depressed me. I didn't wanna be stuck there my entire life! Every time a prospective family would come and visit, I always put on my best smile. I acted cute and responsible and was...myself, I guess. I made sure I seemed happier than I actually was. But I was never adopted. I never understood why. I still never do.

Then Mr. Wayne came along. He didn't even look at any of the other children. He immediately adopted me. I was happy, like really happy. It's a kid's dream to live in a mansion and have their heart's desire. I remember all of the kids in the orphanage with hope in their eyes every time Mr. Wayne came for a visit. We all knew that he had adopted boys before, so now we had hope. I always thought he only wanted boys, so I was surprised when I realized he kept looking at me. But I was always curious as to why he visited this orphanage so often. There are other orphanages in Gotham funded by the Wayne Foundation, so why'd he visit this one so often (maybe he visited the others as often but I wasn't too sure)?

But the only thought in my mind that glorious day...

I have a family.

I'm no longer alone. I'll be loved.

I didn't know at the time that Bruce rarely shows that kind of emotion, so ya can't blame me for those thoughts.

Then I was kidnapped...for like the 4th time. I never really understood why I was kidnapped so much. It's not like I could roam freely through the busy streets of Gotham, not that I wanted to. But somehow...it was always me. Gosh, it's like I'm cursed to always endure stuff like this.

After that happened, I discovered the family's secret when I went exploring (because I have the tendency to explore new places), and I convinced Bruce to let me work alongside him. I didn't realize until then that being like Batman was a secret dream of mine.

The criminal investigation shows, the interest in forensics and fingerprints and crime solving and mystery...

I was never afraid of the dark...I kinda just embraced it at a young age...

Always watching Batman and Robin and Nightwing kick butt and do such cool moves. I remember doing kicks and punching the air when I was all alone (in the orphanage) because I felt weak and wanted to be able to fight back every horrible thing that came my way.

Becoming Nightingale, fighting alongside my hero...it felt like I was meant to become that...become this.

Following becoming Nightingale, more interesting things happened to me, tragic and fortunate.

So yes, I certainly have not gone through nothing.

_Jeez...you didn't have to state your life story._

Yea, sorry. My thoughts started to drift. And for the record, that isn't my entire life story.

_Whatever._

I look down at my food. Still not hungry. I catch words from my friends' conversation as I look around me, taking in my surroundings again. My thoughts kinda dazed me. My eyes focus on Autumn, sitting at a far table, surrounded by a bunch of girls and other people who are probably her classmates. Ugh, they look girly. Uh oh. Bullies.

**Autumn's POV**

I look like such a loner. Well I am. And I don't want anyone coming near me.

Jake was gonna sit with me, but a bunch of girls herded him away. Ugh. Girls can be annoying.

_But Autumn, you are a girl! _

Heh, not like those kinds of girls. Those kind are b****y.

I'm just sitting here, enjoying my delicious lunch from Alfred, when I sense a group of girls headed in my direction. Mackenzie's obnoxious voice comes closer to my table. I know they're approaching me. They're talking about me.

"She's a scholarship student! I bet she doesn't even have a decent lunch."

"Why did the school even accept her? There's no way she's smart."

"I know right! She's probably as dumb as Arthur over there."

Suddenly, something hits the back of my head. I realize it's an elbow.

"Oh hello Autumn. I didn't see you there." Mackenzie looks down at me, smirking. I just continue eating my food, not looking at her.

"So...this is _our _table, and you're sitting here. You aren't allowed to do that. So get up and leave." Her group of friends whisper amongst themselves as Mackenzie just stares at me. I continue eating and don't move.

"Are you deaf or something? She said move!" One of her friends says. Penelope, I think. Huh, her parents must hate her since she has such a stupid name. **A/N: No offense to anyone with that name. **

I pause my eating, look at them in the corner of my eye, shrug, then continue eating.

"Do we need to move you by force? You're probably so light we could throw you into a dumpster." Some of Mackenzie's friends snigger.

"I don't think you want to chip your nails and ruin your ugly manicures." I mutter under my breath. Their deaf ears don't hear me.

"Ugh! Move already!" Mackenzie suddenly swings her arm in front of me, and my food and lunchpail fly off the table and onto the concrete floor. I hear the sound of glass breaking and realize that was my food container. Oh Alfred's gonna kill me.

I don't really wanna do this, but I have to. I get up from the table and get on the floor to pick up the food and broken glass. I feel a pain in my right hand. I don't need to look at my hand to know that one of the glass pieces pierced my hand and blood is staining the concrete.

"Hey everyone look! The scholar is so poor she has to pick up scraps for food!"

I hear lots of laughing. A bunch of other people have come to the table and started laughing at me. I just ignore all their snide comments and laughing and pick up all my food and glass and throw it away. I look down at my hands and find many cuts. I just pull down my sleeves over my hands to cover up my wounds.

"Aw, is the poor girl trying to be tough and not go crying to her mommy...oh wait, I don't think she has one!" I cringe, hoping no one will see it. But obviously, everyone does.

"She doesn't have a mommy! I was right! I bet she doesn't have a daddy either." At that, I don't cringe. It's not like he cared about me, anyway.

"I bet you don't have a mommy and daddy because they hated you!"

Mackenzie and her group of friends all smirk at me while the rest of the people chuckle lightly. I just wanna rub those smug looks off their faces.

"Do you have a daddy? I bet you're just embarrassed by him. My dad is the CEO of a company, and guess who he works with? Bruce Wayne himself! I bet your dad hasn't even heard of him. He's probably as stupid as you."

I may hate my dad, but he wasn't an idiot. I turn to face them and just stare at them. I don't glare at them, but in my mind, I imagine them all burning to the ground.

No! Don't Autumn! Mr. Wayne will kill you if anything happens to them. Who knows what chaos could happen. What would Jake do?

Where is Jake? I turn my head and find him staring in my direction, still surrounded by those girls. He has a look of pity on his face. But I don't need his pity. I don't need anyone's pity! These people are just a group of idiots who are lucky enough not to be dead yet. They have no idea what I'm capable of...maybe I should show them.

NO. I know I shouldn't. C'mon Autumn. Stay strong. Keep your emotions in. You're better than them. You know that. Don't let them get in your head. It's supposed to be the other way around.

But I can't say anything. I shouldn't. I'm trying to keep a low profile, even though it's not working out so well.

I see Jake mouth "I'm sorry" and I just furrow my eyebrows and look back at the girls. The other people have started to disperse.

"Oh? Is that your boyfriend over there?" Dammit. They saw me looking at Jake. Well of course they did, they're bullies. "Well looks like he won't be for long. Who would want to have filth like you as a girlfriend?"

"Probably those nerds over there." Penelope gestures to...of course...Tim's group of friends. They're all just staring at me, and Tim has a look of pity in his eyes too.

I DON'T NEED YOUR DAMN PITY! I DON'T NEED IT!

"No, Penelope, not them! Wayne's son is part of that group. There's no way she would end up with such a hot shot like him." Some of the girls are making longing looks at him. Ew.

"He may be a nerd, but he's handsome." Ugh. Why do I have to be here to hear this?

"Mhmm. High school boy."

"Yea. There's no way Tim would even glance at Autumn." They all turn to me. Great, now they're focused on me again.

All the stuff they're saying, it hurts. But not enough to bring me down. It's just like a bullet: going through me but exiting immediately. It leaves some pain, but I can always get over it.

This is nothing compared to everything I've actually been through.

In my place, they wouldn't even be alive right now to hear all this bs they're throwing at me.

"You know what? You should just go back to the dump you came from. You don't belong. No one wants you...I bet that's what happened. Your mother and father abandoned you. They didn't want you. They didn't want you anymore because you're such a disappointment. You're filth. You're absolutely nothing. You're useless...can't do anything useful. You're an insignificant. I bet your parents didn't even love you."

Now that stings.

"I bet that you wanted them to die."

That's the thing with bullies...they throw hurtful words at you, and even if they don't affect you at first, they finally throw something that hits you right in the chest.

I clench my fists and hold back the tears threatening to come out. Dammit. I can't cry. It would worsen things. Stop...just stop...why can't they leave me alone?

I KNOW I'M NOT WANTED! I'VE BEEN TOLD THAT PLENTY OF TIMES! I DON'T NEED TO HEAR IT AGAIN!

DAMMIT! THIS IS BULLS****

"Ha. Gotcha." Mackenzie smirks and her band of b****es laugh at me.

I shut my eyes tight to prevent the tears from falling. I hear the laughing loud and clear.

"Enough." That voice sounds familiar. I open my eyes and find Christine glaring at Mackenzie. Wait what?! Why is Christine here?

"What are you doing here? You standing up for the scholar?" Mackenzie taunts, but Christine's glare doesn't waver.

"Last I checked, being a scholar is way better than being some stuck up valley girl whose life is built on making others feel insignificant."

"Why are you even worrying about this girl? She's not even in your grade."

"Because I can't stand people like you. Why the hell do you go around bullying people? You're just jealous, that's all. You want to be just like her. Maybe you two should swap places. She'll have the comfortable life while you have to come to school every day, dreading everyone laughing and pointing at you. Now get lost you morons. And I suggest you take off your heels so you don't break your "precious shoes" while you run away before I punch you all in the face."

Most of the girls actually look scared, but Mackenzie and Penelope just make disgusted faces at her as they walk away.

Christine stops glaring and sits down on the bench of the table.

"Why the hell did you stick up for me?" Why would anyone? Especially Christine. She hates me the most. She's said worse things to me than those snobs.

Why would anyone help me? Do I even deserve to be helped? What if those girls are right? What if...

"Because I hate bullies more than I hate you. They targeted me the most during my entire life. It's a good thing I have an intimidating reputation and Bruce as a dad, or they may have never backed off. I wish there weren't any snobs in the world. But the world is cruel like that." She doesn't make eye contact with me.

"I'll explain to Alfred what happened with the tupperware. You should go to the nurse and get your hands checked out. Just make sure when you get home that Bruce and Alfred don't see your cuts. And don't mention this to anybody. _Ever._" She stands up and walks away, back to her table.

Hmph. I don't need to go to some stupid nurse. My hands are perfectly fine.

But I feel like the fact that she hates bullies wasn't the only reason she stood up for me. Maybe...she really is trying to accept me. But why all of a sudden?

I grab my lunch pail and head back to my locker, my other hand stuffed in my skirt pocket. As I walk, I avoid everyone's gaze, especially Jake's, who I know will want to talk to me later, but I don't want to talk to him. Or anyone at all.

I just want them all to go away and disappear. Forever.

The truth is...No, I don't want anyone to go away forever. They don't deserve that, well, the innocent ones.

I can't decide whether I should kill everyone around me, or myself.

Yeah, definitely myself.

****Break****

I just walk down the hallway, past the lockers, holding onto the strap of my backpack.

Then a locker door closes, revealing the face of my friend. He looks at me and he starts walking towards me.

My eyes widen a bit. I really don't wanna talk about it. So I make a swift turn and barge into the girl's bathroom.

The door swings close. I turn around. My shoulders relax as my hands falls to my sides.

Mackenzie is standing right in front of the mirror staring at herself. Dammit!

I can always turn around and walk away and run into Jake so we can talk. OOOR, I can face the bully…

She turns, notices me standing here, then scowls and looks at me from head to toe.

Too late!

She just looks at me with a disgusted face.

"Hey, you know what?" She looks back at the mirror and pulls out a stick of...lip balm? No... lip gloss?

I just stand right here dumbfounded.

"I think that your parents really didn't love you." She says, then she applies three, or four layers.

She smacks her lips and keeps her lip gloss in her purse after glancing back at the mirror. She looks back at me with a smirk.

"Since they didn't love you and they left you…" She continues looking at me from head to toe with a scowl. "I think that you wanted them to die."

My eyes slightly widen. "That's not true."

Her mouth twists into a smirk. "Of course it is! Since they didn't love you. You didn't love them either! So now you're glad that they're dead!" She smiles like it's a joke.

"No. That's not true." I repeat. "I love my parents."

"Mhmm." She hums, looking at her nails.

"They didn't want you, so you didn't want them. And when they died, it was the best day of your life!"

"No. I loved my parents." My breathing becomes faster.

"Ha! So you admit that they're dead!" She smiles. Then she puts on a fake face of pity. "How sad. The piece of filth is an orphan." Her face reverts back to a smirk. "That's too bad." She leans back a bit and smiles. "I wonder who could possible give you a home." She walks towards me. "I will find out. I will find out who you are, you piece of s***." She scowls. "And when I do, you're going to wish you hadn't got in my way."

Isn't she the one who got in my way?

She pushes me aside and walks out the door. "Jake!" I hear her say as the door swings closed.

I just stand here staring at the floor. "Move out of my way." Papa's voice echoes.

I fall to the floor clutching my head. "No...Please. Not today…" I whisper, fighting back the hot tears.

The worst thing in the world: emotions.

"They didn't want you."

_Nobody wants you._

_Christine only helped you out earlier so that you can pay her back someday, but that's the only reason. Nobody would want you. Ever._

"Autumn?" A knock on the door. I blink into reality.

I slowly stand up.

Thank you Jake! You saved me from my thoughts! My hero!

Of course, I'd never tell him that.

I push the door open and walk out. I come face to face with Jake.

His cool breath nips at my nose as we stare at each other wide eyed.

I poke his nose and move him two inches away from me.

He puts his hand on the back of his neck and looks down.

I shoulder my bag and raise an eyebrow at him as he smiles at the ground. His cheeks suddenly turn pink.

"What's up with the blushing?" I ask.

He looks back at me, as the pink goes away. "Nothing."

I turn and start walking. He walks beside me. "Did Mckenzie make a move on you?" I ask as we continue walking.

"Yeah."

I let out a tiny smirk. "That's why you were blushing?" I ask.

He tenses. "Wha-? What? Hell no!" He starts to get all defensive.

"Okay, okay." I raise my hands up in the air. "No need to get all defensive." My hands fall back down.

Then he puts his hand on my shoulder and he stops me. His face gets all serious as he stares into my eyes. "We need to talk."

"About what?"

"What happened earlier?"

I shrug his hand off and continue walking, and he walks with me.

"What about earlier?"

"Lunch."

"What about it? I ate, why?"

"That wasn't what I was talking about."

"It wasn't?"

"Quit stalling."

I let out a frustrated sigh. "I'm fine Jake. It's cool." I smile slyly, looking at him.

"Quit making stupid annoying puns." He smirks.

"It's fun!" I smile.

"But seriously, Autumn."

"Jake. I told you, I'm fine." No I'm not. But I'm never telling anyone that.

We walk out the doors of Gotham Academy and there are a lot of students going home and walking to their fancy cars.

I easily spot Alfred with the Mercedes and the other three.

I grab Jake's hand and move out of Alfred's sight.

"What?" We stand by the wall, on the other wall of the building.

I sigh as I hold his wrist. I let go and look at him.

He stands right in front of me. We're one foot apart.

"What's wrong?" He asks me, staring into my eyes. "Autumn. I want to know who picks you up."

"No one! Quit bugging me about who picks me up and brings me to school! Or who I live with!"

"Fine. Fine. Fine." He grunts.

I look to the side of his head. I furrow my eyebrows at the figure standing by a tree, just on the side walk. The figure seems to be waiting for someone in Gotham Academy.

I squint. Then my eyes widen.

Jake turns around. "What are you-"

I dash past him and to the sidewalk.

The figure has his back turned to me. But I can recognize those highlights anywhere.

I slow down. How should I approach him?

I just walk now. "R?" I ask and he turns to look at me. Yup, it's him. I stare into his hard eyes.

"Autumn!" He looks at my uniform. "Wow, you look...different. In a skirt."

I slightly punch his shoulder. "It's a uniform, idiot."

He smirks and looks back at my face and crosses his arms.

"Hey." I turn around to look at Jake. He's looking at R.

"Oh yeah. Jake." I gesture to R. "This is R."

"R." I gesture to Jake. "This is Jake."

They furrow their eyes at each other. Jake walks slightly closer to R. They're about the same height. R's slightly taller though. Woah, did R grow a bit?

They just glare at each other. Jake pulls out his hand to shake R's hand. "Nice to meet you." Jake says, not taking his eyes off of my other acquaintance.

R looks at the hand. "Yeah, I don't do hand shaking." He says and Jake drops his hand.

"Okay…"

They both look at me."So R, why are you here?"

"Why? Can't I visit my friend? You did tell me that you go to school here." I nod.

"Yeah, but-"

"So anyways. I thought we could hang out after school today. Just you and me." He says.

But then Jake looks him. "Uh, we were supposed to hang out." They glare at each other.

"We were?" I ask Jake.

"Yeah." He says, clenching his teeth and glaring at R.

I put my hands in my skirt pockets. "Actually…" They both turn back to me. "I had other plans."

"What?" They say in unison.

I slightly smile. "Yeah. I'm gonna visit the orphanage. I have clothes inside my bag already."

"But-" R says.

I shake my head. "I promised him. I'm not backing out. You guys can go home and do whatever you do at home." I say quite coldly.

"I'll come with you." Jake offers.

R nods quickly. "Yeah, I'm coming too. I wanna meet this "him.""

I shrug. "Yeah, sure, whatever. I'm just gonna go back in, and I'll change in the bathroom." Huh, I forgot that I was supposed to change...I forget a lot of things, yeah. But I don't forget my promises.

They cringe and look at me. I raise my eyebrow. "What? You guys wanna come with me to the girl's bathroom too?"

I shake my head and walk back in. "You two are acting weird." I walk away from them.

****Break****

We just walk down the road. I'm wearing my light blue jacket and a gray shirt on the inside, some denim jeans and a pair of black and white converse.

They walk by my sides.

"Why do I always catch you in a jacket or some kind of longsleeves?" R asks.

"Yeah. It's getting weird." Jake agrees.

I subconsciously hold my arms.

"It's just cold." I say, looking down.

"So, how'd you and that guy meet?" R asks, changing the subject.

"I didn't have a friend at all. I was being bullied. Jake, here came to my rescue." I smile at Jake. "Thanks by the way." I really was being bullied by the better trainers in home base, before.

He smiles at me with his icy teeth. "Don't mention it."

"So how about you and R?" He asks me.

I look forward. "Bumped into him. Twisted my ankle. But in the end, we saved each other."

"From what?" Jake asks.

I smile slightly. "I saved him from thugs and he stopped the swelling in my ankle. Then, he somehow got my number. And there was our friendship." I look at him and smile, then I look forward and cross my arms.

I stop. "Here we are." The three of us stand front of the orphanage.

I walk towards the door. I knock, shouldering my bag.

The door swings open. "Yes? How may I help you?" A woman asks.

I smile. "I'd like to see Coby."

The woman's face brightens. "Oh yes, Coby Moore? You are?"

"Autumn."

She opens the door even wider. "Come in! Your friends as well. Nice to meet you Autumn. I am Mrs. Anthony."

I walk in. As I look around, it looks like a normal house with a large sofa, a coffee table, some paintings and stairs going upstairs.

"Come, sit down." She offers.

The three of us sit down. "Where are the rest of the children?"

"They are in the backyard, playing." She says, sitting down.

"Must be a huge backyard." I comment.

"Yes, Mister Wayne has been helping a lot."

"That's great."

"So about Coby. He is a good child. A little disobedient at times. He's been talking about you since last night. He seems to have found a family right here in a few hours. Are you his sister?"

"Well, not by blood. We had an agreement yesterday. I told him I'd be his sister if he would stay here."

"You only met the boy last night?"

"Yes." I nod.

"You must be great with children."

"Autumn? Great with kids?" R asks.

"Well, considering it only took a few hours for her to convince a stubborn boy to come over here. I think she is great with kids." She nods.

"Thank you." I smile, elbowing R.

"Your little brother. He was quite shy and stubborn. Until he met two very much younger girls. They're like family here now. You'll be surprised at how quick things can go in such a short period of time. Especially for young ones."

"Tell me about it." I mumble.

A short awkward silence.

"So um...Coby?"

"Oh yes, I will lead you to the backyard. He seems rather busy." She's so perky...I think I will be sick…

We walk out a door and into the backyard.

There is a huge playground and many trees. The grass is green and there's a pathway going towards the white fence and the door.

There are kids everywhere, laughing, playing.

Then I spot Coby, playing with two little girls. He looks at me and his face brightens. He points to me and the two little girls run towards me as Coby walks behind them, trying to catch up.

The girls come to us and Jake bends down and smiles. "Hi. What's your name?"

The other little girl tugs at R's shirt as she laughs while R is trying to ignore her with his arms crossed.

Coby comes towards me. "Hey, Coby! How have you been?"

"Okay." He smiles slightly. "That's Jewel." He points to the girl with medium length hair and her bangs clipped out of her hair. She's playing with Jake.

"That's Iya." She has light brown hair, and she's just as small as Jewel.

"Made new friends already?"

"I'm not the only one." He smiles.

"This is R, and this is Jake." I gesture to them both.

He looks at the two for a while, then back at me, then both of them. He just swings his head back and forth.

"Okay…"

"I told you I'd come." I cross my heart. He smiles.

"Thanks."

"Come! Come!" Jewel pulls at my jacket. She's pointing at the playground.

"Yeah! Let's play!" Coby agrees.

I sigh and I let Jewel pull me away, I look back as I watch R and Jake laugh. But then they also get pulled by Iya and Coby.

I start to laugh.

"So what do you wanna play?"

****Break****

"Marco!" I walk around in the dark, blind folded, grinning while searching for the kids.

"Polo!" I hear all of the giggling kids surrounding me.

"Marco!"

I listen as their giggling gets louder.

"Polo!"

I smile and reach down, holding a child's shoulders.

"Ha!" I cry in victory. More laughing follows.

I take off my blindfold and grin at the cheerful boy.

I stand up straight as all the other happy kids surround me.

"Autumn! You need to catch all of us!" Iya giggles.

"What!?" I smile. But I don't remember that being a part of this game.

I sigh. "Aw, come on!" I wipe my forehead even though there is only one cold drop of sweat.

"Ugh. I'm tired already. You are way too many!" I grin as I crouch down to their heights.

"Aww." They all groan, making cute pouty faces with puppy dog eyes.

I just chuckle at the sight of their faces.

"But we're having so much fun!" A boy complains.

I put my hand on his shoulders.

"How about this, Aaron."

I look at the other kids, standing as I smile with my eyes.

"How about...Jake and R take over for a while?" My eyes hover over the two boys who are sitting by the steps in front of the door.

They are talking to each other and glaring, but then Jake catches my eye and his eyes widen. He shakes his head as he elbows R.

They both shake their heads. I nod and smile. They both sigh in unison.

"How about that, huh?" I look back at the hyper kids.

"Aww, but you're more fun."

"How do you know? They can be just as fun too!" I stand up and smile.

"Okay." Jewel agrees.

The two of my friends walk towards me, giving me two pairs of glares. I just smirk and walk towards the steps.

I take a seat on the fourth step and watch them. They all start running around as my friends try to round up the kids.

I just smile once I catch a glare from R.

I put my elbow on my knee and my face on my hand. My breathing slows down and my smile fades. My eyes fall to the tall blades of the grass.

The laughter becomes distant as the world becomes a haze.

The warm wind blows and now, all I hear is crying.

A smaller me wearing tattered jeans and dirty rags for a shirt. Her kneecaps were scratched and bloody. There's a lot of dirt smudged on her cheeks.

Papa stands in front of her. Yelling. He's not helping her, he's making it all worse.

"Tell me the reason why you are crying." He commands.

She just cries.

"TELL ME." Papa says.

She continues to wail. Mama and Nico are standing at the door of the bedroom.

"They…they...beat me…" She hiccuped.

"WHAT? YOU WERE BULLIED? BY A BUNCH OF URCHINS. No, I don't allow that. That's not good for my reputation." Papa says.

He took a deep breath. "Not good for my reputation at all. I cannot be seen around with a pushover like you." He walks to the other side of the bed and takes a hanger.

Then he walks back to her. He grabs her cheeks as she wails. "Listen to me, you good for nothing worthless child. You need to stand up you bastard. Everyone in the neighborhood knows I'm stuck with you. They think you're my new baby girl no matter how much I deny it. I can't have a weakling for a kid." He barks.

He slaps her face and she falls to the bed. He raises his arm and beats her with the hanger. "YOU WEAKLING! I CAN'T HAVE A WEAKLING FOR A KID! SHOW NO MERCY!" He continues to beat her back as she cries.

Blood starts to drip down her back and her mom and brother can't do anything about it but sob quietly.

"YOU WEAKLING! SHOW NO MERCY! I WANT YOU TO GO BACK OUT THERE." He grabs her hair and pushes her to the floor. He continues to beat her again.

"THEN BRING ME BACK THEIR HEADS! PUNCH THEM UNTIL THEY BLEED! MAKE THEM EAT S****!" He yells as the hanger starts to snap and break.

He throws it on the floor and grabs her by her hair. He drags her to the tiny living room and towards the door. "BE TOUGH! DON'T COME BACK UNTIL YOU BRING ME BACK THEIR HEADS!" He yells, opening the door and throwing her out, and shutting the door behind her.

She just crawls up in a ball in front of the door and sobs.

"No...no...they...were innocent...they wanted my food...I gave it to them...but they beat me up…" The girl cries. I walk up to her and try to put my hand on her shoulder, but it passes through her body like I'm nothing.

I blink, seeing the blades of grass again. I furrow my eyebrows and purse my lips. You happy now Papa? I have lost mercy.

Someone taps my shoulder and I look to the woman to my right. "Watch them please." She points to the wheelchair.

There seems to be a young girl with messy, long light brown hair and medium olive skin seated on the chair, watching the other children play, her eyes lost in the world. Her legs are just hanging on the edge of the seat, a soft pink cloth is placed atop her lap.

I lean forward and look at the small boy seated on the grass on the other side of the wheelchair.

I can't really see his face since he is facing forward and watching the other kids play. But he also has light brown hair and olive skin. He's just sitting there quietly wearing his pajamas in the afternoon.

The girl suddenly turns her head to look at me. "Hi." She says, with a tiny smile. But I've used enough fake smiles to know that she has one on her face right now. There are huge eye bags under her glassy brown eyes and I can see her smile fading into a frown.

I give her one of my realistic fake smiles like I always do with everyone in this whole world.

"What's your name?" She asks me with a soft and quiet voice.

"Autumn." I answer simply. "What about you?" I ask, looking at the tiny and delicate girl.

"My name's Lisa."

"Lisa, nice name."

She doesn't answer. I lean forward and look at the boy. "How about you?" I ask him, but he doesn't even bother to look at me. He only continues watching the other kids as if he heard nothing.

"Hello?" I ask. He doesn't say anything. He doesn't even turn his head.

"That's Roni. He's my brother." I lean back and look at the girl. "He can't hear you. He can't hear anything. He will never be able to hear."

"Oh, I see." My eyes falls to the ground. "He can't hear, so he can't talk either. Because he doesn't know how talking sounds like."

"Why is he not playing with the other kids? Just because he's deaf doesn't mean he can't run around and play."

"He doesn't even know what 'playing' means." Lisa says sadly.

"Does he know sign language?"

"A little bit."

"Can he read?"

"Not so much."

"Of course not." I mumble under my breath.

There's a silence. My hands are hanging on my lap as I lean back on the stair. A quick breeze passes by and blows at my hair to the left. I comb my hair with my hands to keep it out of my face. And just like that, the wind stops.

"Who are you?" She asks me.

I furrow my eyebrows. "I already told you my name." I say softly.

"No, I mean. How?"

"How, what?"

"This place is hardly bright and sunny. Earlier, it was great. But when you and your friends came. It suddenly became brighter." She looks at me with her eyebrows furrowed. "Most of them are suddenly happier. How do you know how to make others happier? Why?"

Trust me kid. I have no idea how to make others happier.

I look down and think of my answer. Then back at her with a small smile. "I don't like it when children are sad. Because as a kid, you're supposed to be happy. And seeing kids unhappy, it just isn't right for me. It makes me think about how the world isn't fair. I can't exactly fix all the problems in the world. I'm not God, but I can try to make children forget."

I was a happy kid once too. Then everything changed. And the world ruined me.

A long silence, and this time, there's no breeze at all. Just the warmth of the day on my skin.

"Now, I wish we hadn't come down here." She mumbles.

"Why not?"

"We can't play. All we can do is watch as the world passes by." Her voice becomes even softer.

I try my sweetest, real-est smile ever. "There's no need to be sad. There's no need to watch the world pass by you. You can run with the world." I move up and get closer to her.

"I know lots of people who never let disability stop them. It shouldn't stop you either."

"You're just saying that out of pity."

Pity is something hard to feel.

"Of course not. I'm saying it because I believe that you can still have fun even if your butt is stuck on a chair."

"Like what things?"

I smile sweetly. "Let's start small. I want you to show me that you still have the energy to do stuff."

I reach for my bag on the floor and pull out a writing notebook, a sketchpad, and a pencil.

I give the sketchpad and pencil to Lisa. "Here. Try drawing. It gets your mind off of things. Then later on, you can play with us."

"Really?"

"Of course." She opens the sketchpad. "Give me some time first."

"No problem." I grab the notebook and another pencil as I slowly scootch closer towards the boy.

"What are you going to do?" Lisa asks, some concern in her voice.

I stand up. "I'm going to talk to your little brother." I smile and sit beside the boy.

He looks at me with a blank face. I can see his mouth is so dry.

I give him the warmest smile I can give. He waves slightly at me with a frown on his face.

I point to myself and spell out my name in sign language.

He points to himself and tries to spell his name.

But he stops at O and thinks about what the letter N is.

I gently take his hand and make his fingers form a letter N and I put my hand down and he stares at his tiny hand.

Then he makes the letter I in sign language.

I smile.

'Thank you.' He says in sign language.

I smile and nod. 'Welcome.' He furrows his brows in confusion.

I smile and take the notebook. I write the word WELCOME on one of the pages of my notebook.

It takes four seconds for him to read it, then he nods and smiles.

I spell the word out with my fingers again. He watches as my hands go from M to E.

'Need help?' I ask him.

'With what?'

'Communicating.'

'What that?'

'To talk.'

He smiles with a quick nod.

'Basics.' I smile and he just nods.

'I drive -to- school.'

I write it down once I see his confused face. He nods and copies me.

'Past (last) night (it was) cold out.'

He smiles and copies me.

'I finish(ed) my homework.'

He shakes his head and I write it down on the notebook. It takes some time for him to read, but he gets it and he copies me.

'Brother.' He smiles. 'Sister.'

"L-I-S-A, my sister.'

'J-A-S-O-N, my brother.'

He looks down and frowns. 'No mom and no dad.' He says.

I smile. 'Me neither. But I have a brother and you have sister. It's okay.' I smile. He nods, understanding my statement.

'I am happy.' He says, grinning. 'Thank you.'

I smile. 'I am also happy.' I tell him.

'A-U-T-U-M-N.' I smile. He didn't even need to copy me. 'Are you coming tomorrow?'

'Maybe, if I can. But don't worry, I not leaving yet.'

His smile widens. 'This place your family?' I ask him.

He nods with a big grin. 'Yes.' He nods happily. 'I love my family.' He says.

I smile. "How about you?' He asks.

I just smile and stare blankly at him. 'You are getting better! Want to play?'

He grins. 'I want to.'

'Then let's play!' I stand up.

'No play.' He stands up, frowning. 'No hear. No talk. No play.' He states.

I smile and pat his head. 'So what?' I ask him. He grins.

I walk over to Lisa and she shows me the picture.

There's a stick figure of all of us. Except, there's me and some other boy. But there's only one other boy.

Jake stands behind me. "Who's the boy, Lisa?" He asks.

She just giggles.

I give it back to her. "But it's yours."

"Keep it. Your drawings are very pretty Lisa." I comment.

"Wanna play?" I ask her. "Your brother is playing with us. You can come too."

She furrows her eyebrows at me as confusion plasters all over her face. "I wanna play...but...how?" She gestures to her legs.

"You seem light. So…" I look at Jake.

****Break****

"Haha!" I throw the ball to Lisa. "Catch!" I tell her.

She catches the ball with her hands and she throws it at Coby.

Jake is carrying Lisa on his shoulders. He holds onto her legs making sure she doesn't fall off. And Lisa seems to have fun with it.

Coby catches the ball and throws it to me. "Get it!"

All of us are a sort of triangle and R is in the middle. He's trying to catch the ball. This is a little game I picked off from the streets. It's called 'Monkey in the Middle.'

They all continue to play as Coby throws the ball to Roni.

I spot Jewel slip by the tree and scrape her knee.

I run to her and crouch down, then I help her up as she starts crying.

I look at her scraped knee, then I look up and smile.

"Hey, there's no need to cry. It's just a scrape. I can put a band-aid on it." I wipe her tears away.

"But it hurts!"

"Shush." I say gently, as I continue to wipe her tears away. "Hey, let me tell you a secret." She calms down a bit.

I look at Jake. "Jake looks really stupid." She giggles. "But he is strong. Don't you think?" I ask her and she grins. "See? It doesn't seem to hurt now." I point out.

"Now, come on. Go wash your hands." I pull her up and she runs towards the door, grinning.

I run towards the kids. "Hey! Who wants to play tag?"

"Me! Me! Me!" Coby and Iya say enthusiastically.

"Great!"

"Now, there will be two Its."

"Peace lock! Peace lock! Peace lock!"

Everyone says at the same time and all that's left is me and R.

"Dammit." He mumbles.

They all run towards us and start spinning us around. "One...Two...Three...Four...Five!"

Looks like they're making their own rules. The world starts spinning and they run around while I chase after them while the world spins.

Then I bump into R and the world turns right side.

And I find myself staring into R's eyes.

The world stops spinning as his eyes widen.

Everything goes slow motion for two seconds.

Then I blink andgGet up, using his face under my palm instead of the grass.

"Ow. Ow. Ow." He says and I jump up.

"Children. Snacks." Mrs. Anthony announces.

They all start running inside.

I run to Jake.

"Thanks Jake." I take Lisa from his shoulders and carry her inside.

"Please don't put me in the wheelchair."

"Okay." I agree.

We all run into the kitchen, I put Lisa down on one of the wooden chairs. I make sure she's secured.

Everyone sits down and it's so noisy. But I notice some empty seats at the end of the table.

There's chocolate milk and biscuits. I take a seat down as I watch them talk. Some of them are just quietly eating.

Coby looks at me with his stuffed mouth, chocolate milk decorating his face.

"Ooh, ooh! Tell us a story!" Coby suggests, his words muffled by his food.

They all look at me with quiet grins.

"When it's like, almost five?" Which reminds me, I need to be home by dinner.

"Please!" They all give me those annoying puppy dog eyes. Even Roni does the hand signal for 'please.'

Jake and R quietly chuckle.

I shoot them a quick glare.

"Err...Once upon a time?"

"Not a fairy tale!"

Yes...I hate fairy tales. Always ending in happy endings...I don't even...never mind.

I look down, thinking of a story, then back at them. I smile.

I remember this was my favorite story. Mom used to tell me and my little brother this story before going to bed.

"Okay! This was my favorite story. And it still is." They all lean forward as the kids stuff their mouths. "It's based on a true story." **A/N: It really is. In reality.**

I also do hand language for Roni so he can understand it as well.

"One day, a poor boy who was selling goods from door to door to pay his way through school, found he had only one thin dime left, and he was hungry. He decided he would ask for a meal at the next house. But, he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door. Instead of a meal he asked for a drink of water. She thought he looked hungry so brought him a large glass of milk. He drank it so slowly, and then asked.

'How much do I owe you?'

'You don't owe me anything," she replied. He said, 'Thank you.'

As the boy left that house, he felt so much stronger. He had been ready to give up and quit.

Many years later that same young woman became critically ill. The local doctors were baffled. They finally sent her to the big city, where they called in specialists to study her rare disease.

The young boy who became a doctor was called in for the consultation. When he heard the name of the town she came from, a strange light filled his eyes.

Immediately he rose and went down the hall of the hospital to her room.

Dressed in his doctor's outfit he went in to see her. He recognized her at once.

He went back to the consultation room, determined to do his best to save her life. From that day he gave special attention to her case.

After a long struggle, the battle was won.

He requested the business office to pass the final bill to him for approval. He looked at it, then wrote something on the edge and the bill was sent to her room. The woman feared to open it, for she was sure it would take the rest of her life to pay for it all. Finally she looked, and something caught her attention on the side of the bill. She read these words ...

'Paid in full with one glass of milk'

(Signed) Dr. Howard Kelly. The end."

**A/N: **** . ****. Dr. Howard Kelly (****February 20, 1858 – January 12, 1943)** **American** **gynecologist. He was one of the "Big Four" founding professors at the Johns Hopkins Hospital** **in Baltimore, Maryland. It was partially a true story. **

They all just look at me. "It was a true story?"

"Partially." I say, doing hand signs for Roni to understand.

"So it was quite true?" Jake asks.

I nod. "Yup."

"So, there are people still like that here in this world?"

"Is there still kindness in this world? Of course." I tell myself more than I tell them. "There's still hope." I try to make myself believe as much as I try to make them believe. "Still hope for kind people."

"Well." R stands up. He looks at his watch. "I've gotta be home by dinner, or my sister will kill me, so..."

My eyes widen. "Oh yeah. I also have to go"

Jake and I stand up the same time.

"Aw." They say in unison.

I smile. "Don't worry, I'll be back tomorrow."

They start standing up. And they all hug us. We're all surrounded by children.

"Okay, okay. Let them go now children. They also have their own families to get back to."

"But…"

"I'll be back."

"Me too." Jake says.

"Yeah, some other time. When I can." R says.

The kids finally let us go after squeezing us.

Mrs. Anthony pulls us away from the kids. "Now kids, time to help clean up."

"Aww...okay."

"Bye guys." I smile.

"Bye bye." Iya is the only one that waves and smiles as we walk away from the kitchen.

Coby runs towards me and hugs me tightly. "Is that why you helped me? Because of the story?"

"Well, it was something I learned." I smile at him and gently pull his hands away.

I crouch down. "Be good." I smile and he nods.

"Bye." I walk with Mrs. Anthony.

"Wow. Thank you." She says as we near the door.

"For what?" I ask.

"For making the children happier. You and your friends are welcome anytime."

We walk out the door. "Thank you." It's funny, someone that's actually welcoming.

I close the door and we start walking away from the orphanage.

"That was fun." R says.

"Really? Thought you hated kids."

"Never said that." He says, putting his hands in his pockets under his polo.

"So wanna take a taxi home?"

"Yeah, okay. Can't be late for dinner."

"Right. So, let's get a taxi. We'll have R dropped off at the Crime Alley, then let's go to the Financial District, Jake." I nod at both of them.

"You live in Crime Alley?" Jake asks R.

"Yeah, you got a problem with that?" They glare at each other. "You live in a richass home."

"Hey dudes." I push them apart. "Nothing's wrong with living in Crime Alley or in the Financial District. Now quit being assholes to each other and let's go get a cab." I storm away from them, calling a taxi.

****Break****

**Jason's POV**

This is all BS. Everything in my life is s***.

Why won't Bruce and Mommy Dickie let me go out as Red Hood anymore?! They know I've changed! Sure, I may lose my temper a lot...well who can blame me when I was murdered by that insane clown then brought back to life...but why don't they trust me enough?

They act like they trust me...that they believe that I've _fully _returned...but I know that on the inside, they still have their doubts. It's probably because Bruce is the reason I became Red Hood in the first place. I think I was always Red Hood...he was always a part of me...he just waited for the right time to come out and unleash himself onto the world.

I was able to sneak outside without being noticed by Alfred. So here I am, maybe 30 feet away from the house, leaning on this tree as I watch the puffs of smoke emit from my cigarette and mouth.

In the distance, I hear a car heading this way. I turn my head and spot the mail truck driving up the road. It's a little late for the mail, isn't it? So why is it late...

The truck comes to a halt in front of the mailbox protruding from the brick pillars supporting the metal gate. The mailman reaches across and places something in the mailbox. He's pretty far away, so I can't really make out what he's holding. Judging by what I can see, it looks like there are some letters on top of the newspaper. I should save Alfred the trouble of having to walk the quarter mile from the house to the mailbox. He does too much for us already.

I begin to make my way to the mailbox when the mail truck turns around and heads back to civilization.

Damn. Why did this property have to be so big? I remember when I was younger and loving to run around and climb random trees. Now I wish that there wasn't as much outdoor space.

I finally make it to the mailbox and open it from the inside of the property. As I walk back, I look through everything that arrived.

Business letter...bills...charity thingy...newspaper...wait...

**Harley Quinn Escaped!**

My eyes widen. I look up and run back to the manor, not caring about the other letters I left behind in my dust.

****Break****

I shut my door and lean on the wall, raising the newspaper so I can read it.

_Today Harley Quinn escaped from Arkham Asylum. Police say that they don't know how she was able to do it, but what's really puzzling is why Harley Quinn is out but The Joker isn't. Our very own Vicki Vale tried to get the scoop but..._

I don't need to read more. Harley's out. That's never good news. And she didn't leave with the clown...why? She's always with 'Mista J'...

Something weird is going on. And I want to know what.

I don't care what Bruce and Golden Boy say...they should know by now that I only see rules as suggestions on how to live.

And no one gets to tell me how to live my life.

I rip off the pages of the newspaper individually so I can hold the single piece of paper that holds my ticket to getting what I want. The Joker.

I'd better get going then.

****Break****

**Tim's POV**

"Red Robin. I need you to analyze this." Batman hands me a test tube filled with green liquid. He starts walking towards the Batmobile where The Demon and Nightingale are already waiting impatiently.

Nightwing is already out on patrol. Chris and Damian are coming with Bruce, while I'm stuck here analyzing some kind of toxin.

"What is it?"

"I got it from Harley Quinn, we had an encounter, she escaped. We're going to search for her. Nightwing is already out scouting Gotham."

"Harley Quinn got out?" I never liked that sicko.

"I investigated one of her victims. That dead man was bathing in this green toxin. I need you to analyze it."

Batman turns around, his cape nearly slapping me. He jumps in the super vehicle and booms out of the cave.

Great, I've been down graded to "analyzer." Looks like I am really no longer needed in this family. This family would do fine without me.

Maybe it's because I really am weak. Snap out of it Tim!

I shake my head and walk towards the computer and the lab equipment on the table. I put the test tube down and start analyzing it.

I wonder when I'll finally be needed?

It doesn't seem like anyone even needs me.

Maybe Phoenix was right. Maybe Autumn was right. I am weak. I am a bad hero. Maybe that's why Batman doesn't need me anymore.

All I can do is solve mysteries.

Maybe I'm the weakest of this family.

I'm pulled into a memory once I glance at that Robin uniform still in it's case.

I remember that time that I met Jason. When he tried to kill me.

"_You always take the easy way." I said, holding onto my baton, getting ready for a fight._

I remember the whole fight as I work on analyzing this substance.

"_Easy? Easy? I've lived off on the streets. I tried to make the man with no emotions proud. I died! Easy!?" He said, taking off his leather jacket and ripping off his shirt, showing his old version of the Robin uniform._

I don't know how long it takes, but after comparing it with the other Joker toxins on file, it doesn't seem to have matched any of it. This is a new toxin.

What if Harley is planning to unleash this on Gotham? But without The Joker? Why was she not with the Joker? Batman never told me that she was with The Joker...she's always with The Joker. But why is she not now? If she broke out of Arkham, then why did she not break The Joker out with her?

I look at my watch. It's nine o' clock. I've been down here for hours. They left just at sun down. Now, it's nine o' clock. I even missed dinner.

It's okay. I'm not that hungry anyways.

The computer beeps. "Red Robin." Batman's voice is sounded over the com. I walk over to the computer.

"Yeah?"

"Suit up. We need your help. There's been a breakout at Blackgate."

Finally, something to do.

The computer beeps again and Batman's voice disappears.

I'm about to run for my uniform but then I hear a loud hissing.

**Autumn's POV**

I get a text.

R: Hey, tomorrow, wanna hangout.

Me: Depends. Where to?

R: Just around the block.

Me: What? Why?

R: You know, if you're not busy.

Me: Let me think about it. What are we gonna do anyways?

R: Well, aren't you going back to the orphanage tomorrow.

Me: Yeah, but I'll just be staying for two hours or maybe just one hour and hang out with the kids. Maybe teach Roni.

R: Oh yeah, didn't know you knew Sign Language.

Me: Yeah, picked it up from someone.

R: There you go again. Being all secretive.

Me: Anyways. I'll think about it. Night.

R: You gonna sleep already?

Me: Yeah, have school tomorrow.

Then he doesn't reply after that. I put my phone down on my bed.

I shut the door and pace around my room.

What should I do? What should I do? What should I do?

Seriously, I'm bored. And I can't sleep.

I tried sleeping earlier. I just kept moving around in my bed and messing up.

Well, there's always that one option...I can always c- NO! AUTUMN! YOU HAVE TO STOP!

Oh darn. they're coming.

No wait. They're here.

_Who?_

You guys! You annoying demons that harass me like 24/7! GAAHH!

Everywhere I walk, you guys always follow me! I feel like I'm always surrounded by thousands of shadows everywhere I go, even if I am under the sun! No matter where I go I feel like I'm surrounded by crimson red fire and a sea of black water.

UGHHH!

_Haha, too bad Autumn. You have to live with us._

I know. I roll my eyes.

"So." I jump up. "What do you wanna do? What should we do?" Yes, it has come to that point where I say WE instead of I.

"We can read comics." I look at my collection of comics. "Or we can read this book." I hold Death.

But then I put it back on my dresser. "Let's read Homestuck!" I point to my laptop.

"Nah. I can never concentrate on reading anyways."

I sigh.

Then a wave of anxiousness shoots up into my head.

I hiss and rub my arm until it turns red.

"STOP IT!"

_Sorry, can't._

"Yes you can!"

_No, no. We can't._

I sigh. How do you vanquish demons?

_You can't you loser._

I sigh. At least it's not that huge demon. The one that makes me feel numb.

I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all.

I'd rather feel anxiety, anger or that certain feeling like my whole body is being electrocuted than feeling numb and depressed like I usually do.

Sometimes, I feel all that at the same time. Like all my demons are working all at the same time.

Like this morning. It was around three a.m.

I woke up, jumping out of my bed, yelling "I have an idea! I have an idea!" The idea was for my research.

But then, when I got to the laptop, a wave of sadness overcame me. And I fell on my knees and my head hit the ground. I just lied there, staring at the ceiling with me, myself and my thoughts.

Then, after like two minutes of talking to myself, I jumped up and started flailing my arms around. My heart started beating super fast. Then after talking to myself I jumped up and went to the bathroom to melt that bar of soap. I got my notebook and threw it across the room. Then I got my pen and my math notebook, and I stabbed my math notebook. The hole went right through the first page and out the last page. And the inside of my pen shot out the pen.

After like an hour of torture, I was exhausted. My thoughts were racing, then my brain became tired.

I fell on my bed, but then I got up and limped towards my laptop. I did my research for two hours and fell asleep at five fifty, but then I had to go to school at six. So I got around three hours and ten minutes of sleep.

I wonder if I will be able to sleep tonight? Probably not. Besides, sleeping is for the weak anyways.

"We can listen to music."

"Nah. Music doesn't help."

I walk towards my laptop and try to continue my research. But then, I can't sit still on my seat in front of the desk.

"COME ON! Autumn, focus! Dammit!" The only time I can actually force myself to focus is when Phoenix is on. But Phoenix is dangerous. I don't wanna risk it.

So I jump out of my seat. "Focus!"

I run to the washroom and swing the door open.

My fingers move around the air as if I am typing on nothing. "What the hell?"

I look at the mirror. My eyes are wide, and my hair is tied back. I'm biting my lower lip.

_You're so insane Autumn._

"I know!" I suddenly bite my arm. I bite it so hard that I start to shake.

I stay like that for a minute, until I taste copper in my mouth.

I let go and look at the new bite wound on my arm.

"Gaaah!" I suddenly turn and punch the wall next to the desk.

My punch is not hard enough to put a crack in a wall, but it is strong enough to bruise my own knuckles.

That wasn't even close to half of the anger or anxiety or this unknown emotion I am feeling on the inside that I let out.

I take a deep breath and wipe my face.

I walk back to the desk and continue my research on these weird climate changes on the world.

After silence of typing.

I furrow my brows.

I'm bored now. I shut down my laptop. I put on my thin blue jacket and I exit my room.

I walk down the hallway. All the rooms are empty. Even Jason's. I know where everyone else is. But where could Jason have gone?

I walk into his room.

It's really messy. Pieces of paper all over the floor.

I step on a news paper.

I pick it up and look at it.

**Harley Quinn Escaped!**

I fold it and keep it in my pocket.

I walk out the room.

I walk down the stairs, and I pass by the kitchen.

"Are you planning to eat dinner."

"Um...I'm not hungry Alfred."

"You did not eat breakfast. Judging by your container case, you might not have finished your lunch. Now, you are skipping dinner? You have already skipped enough meals yesterday. I don't recall you eating."

Eating? Food? I'm fat enough already.

"I'm just not hungry Alfred."

He sighs.

"Alright. But could you fetch Master Tim down in the cave? He must be hungry, he has been down there for quite some time." I nod.

I turn away from Alfred.

"And Miss Cross." I stop before the wing towards the study. "Why are you wearing a jacket inside the house? Especially when it's quite warm with the heaters on?"

I rub my arms, but I don't look at him. "It's just cold Alfred."

I pace towards the study.

I enter the study and open the grandfather clock. I walk down the cave.

My breathing gets heavier. Maybe it's because I still feel like I'm in enemy base?

As I walk, the sound of crazed laughter starts to get louder.

My eyes slowly widen as I start to walk quickly.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Laughter that sounds nothing like the children in the orphanage earlier.

I can see a figure moving on the floor. I run towards the shadow that's lighted under the light of the computer screen.

I get on my knees and turn the figure over.

"Timothy?" He has that face, a pale face like The Joker's. It reminds me of my dad's face when he died.

Except my dad's face was burned off and there was blood everywhere.

There's glass on the floor and a green puddle. Timothy's hand has shards and drops of blood on it.

"Alfred!" I yell.

Drake holds onto me as he laughs.

I get up and search the lab equipment for the antidote.

Found it! I get the injection and stab his leg with it.

The antidote take place quickly and Tim starts to calm down.

****Break****

**Tim's POV**

The smell of antiseptic fills my nose and wakes me up. I dart my eyes open and sit up. The first thing I see are hard teal green eyes, and I come nose to nose with Autumn. I stare into her eyes, wide eyed. My mouth opens a bit.

Her eyes are shiny under this artificial light, but I can see dark fire inside them. They seem tired and scarred and...sad. And just messed up.

She moves back uncomfortably.

"You're up." She's seated at the side of my bed. She gives me a glass of water.

I look at it, then back at her. "Didn't poison it. Promise." I take it with much caution.

I drink it.

My throat hurts, my lungs feel like they were about to explode.

And there's small tubes connected to my nose. I take it out.

"What happened?" I ask dryly.

"I don't know. But I found you down here, laughing your ass off. I called Alfred and he patched you up. I was able to clean up the whole floor of the damn toxin that did this to you."

"Where's Alfred?" I search around the med bay.

"Upstairs. He said that I just needed to wait here to wait for you to wake up."

"You watched me until I woke up?"

"Yeah, just in case the drugs and antidote didn't do it's job."

"How long?" I hold onto my forehead.

"One hour." She says.

"You sat there for one hour?" I look at her.

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"Why, what?"

'Why do you care? Wouldn't you just leave me alone here-"

"And let you wake up alone? I know how that feels. It 'ain't nice." She looks down and I give her the glass, and she puts it on the table next to me.

"Thanks."

She shrugs. "I didn't do anything. I just found you."

"But if you didn't find me, I would be dead."

She just shrugs again and continues to look down.

"You okay?" I ask.

"Yeah."

"You sure?"

"I'm fine."

I know that that's not true. When someone says they're fine, they're not.

"Really?"

"I said I'm fine." She insists. "You shouldn't care anyways." She mumbles, furrowing her brow.

I frown. "Listen...um...about what happened yesterday."

"It's in the past. It shouldn't matter anymore."

I sigh. Okay, she still won't talk. There's an awkward silence. "What happened? Yesterday."

"What do you mean?"

"You just started screaming and you just caught fire."

"Yeah...that happens."

I lean forward. "What do you mean?"

"There's nothing to worry about. That happens."

"What? No. I don't think breaking down is a normal thing."

"Look, uh, I don't wanna talk about it. Okay?!" She starts to get all defensive. I tense at her booming voice.

A long silence hangs in the air.

She looks at me. "About what I said."

"Yesterday?"

"No. Just listen. You know…" She starts. "I don't think you're weak. Don't ever think that you're not needed in this family."

"What makes you think I think that?" I tense, getting even more defensive. Oh God, she has broken all my barriers! No! NO! I must protect them.

Although...it kinda feels nice that someone out there gets me.

NO! She knows my weakness! The enemy knows! Shut up!

"I can see the pain in your eyes. I've seen how Bruce treats you, and I can see how much it pains you. He seems to ignore your effort to make him proud."

"How do you know how he treats me?"

"I've watched your training."

"Huh." I breathe.

"I know how it feels like to try and make someone proud of you. But he doesn't seem to care."

"Bruce cares for me."

"You tell yourself that. But I know that there's a small part of you that tells you that he doesn't."

I just look down.

"You're important. This family needs you. You are needed. Your dad, Bruce, can just be a bit busy sometimes, cause of all your other siblings and his work. But he cares, and if you...left. He would need you. You're needed."

I look at her. "Why are you telling me this?" I ask.

She looks down. "Because. You're not weak."

"But you told me that I was weak."

"Envy can do a lot of things to people. So does insanity and well...rage."

"Envy? Rage?"

"Yes...I was, and still am, jealous of you...you went through so much...and still managed to stay sane. You managed to stay strong. I told you that you were weak because...I was jealous of you…" She looks down.

"Jealous?"

"Yes. You lost a lot. But you stayed strong...I guess everyone in this family of yours is like that." She looks at me.

"You are a part of this family, family needs you. You may think that they don't. But they do. You just don't know it. You're a part of this family, you are a part of a family. Don't ever think that you're not needed. You're important. You're not weak. You're strong. And you're a hero."

"You managed to put up with Batman for a long time as Robin. You were able to run around Gotham as a dancing target. You survived. You left for a while and came back replaced! If that was me, I would reek with rage. But you...you took up a new mantle and stayed strong. Until now, you still put up with The Batman. You survived Drake. You're strong. You're a hero. Red." She smiles.

I smile back at her. "Thanks."

"I'm sorry." She says, meaning her words.

I shoot my head up at her in surprise and I can see the truth in her eyes.

"Sorry for it all."

A silence.

"Not a lot of people have the guts to say sorry at all."

"I get it if you don't wanna forgive and forget. But I'm sorry."

I clench my fists remembering all that she did. Then I unclench my fists remembering how she brought Jason back, remembering how she broke down so hard that night, and how much we always exclude her from everything.

I don't say anything.

I don't think I can ever forgive her though for what she did.

She nearly destroyed us all and tried to rule crime.

"And one more thing. I can't tell you about the war." I look at her with wide eyes. "I can't say anything about that. It's completely classified. But other than that, I'll tell you my story."

"But, that night."

"You didn't say please." She smiles.

I let a small smile tug at my lips.

"hey, um...Autumn...just call me Tim, okay? Timothy is kinda long and DRake just makes you sound like Damian."

She smiles lightly. "Okay."

"Could you do me favor?"

"Sure."

"Don't tell Bruce that this happened because I was analyzing."

"You don't wanna seem weak, now do you?"

I look down.

She zips her mouth with her fingers.

I smile.

BEEP BEEP BEEP

She stands up and I jump out of the bed.

We run to the computer.

"Nightwing sent a distress call." I say, typing on the computer. "No. The break out in Blackgate."

"There's been a breakout in Blackgate?"

"Yeah." I nod

An incoming call. I open it.

"Red! We need your help ASAP! There's a bunch of other criminals and Harley Quinn's involved in this! She just got away. Batman and Robin are down. Can't go after them, Nightingale and I are occupied. Where's that backup? AND I DON'T KNOW IF I'M HALLUCINATING FROM EXHAUSTION BUT I THINK I SAW RED HOOD AFTER HARLEY."

The com goes dead.

"He's not hallucinating. Jase is after harley." Autumn pulls out her paper. "Tim. You think you can pinpoint Jason with that tracker Mister Wayne put on him?"

How did she know?

I type and a map appears on the screen. Five dots appear in Blackgate. Five, not four.

"Tim. Let's go."

I stand up. "You're coming?"

"Break out. You need all the help you can get. Especially with The Bat down."

****Break****

**Jason's POV**

I tracked down Harley using my detective skills. As I ride my motorcycle, I hear the news lady announce that there's been a break out at Blackgate. I hacked into the video tapes all over Gotham and found that Harley has been spotted moving in the direction of the penitentiary.

That's not a coincidence.

I park my bike in a clump of trees a few yards away from the prison. I don't want to be seen, considering that I can hear a lot of grunting and bone on bone. Looks like the Bat Clan got here before I did.

I have to reanalyze all of the streets and routes in Gotham. Being away for so long has caused me to forget about all those shortcuts and hidden streets Gotham has to offer.

I lurk in the shadows, getting closer to the prison. As I move closer, the sounds get louder. Soon, everything becomes clearer.

Nightwing's getting attacked from all sides, but somehow he's able to hold all of them off. Batman and Robin are standing back to back, about to lunge at the prisoners surrounding them. Nightingale is preventing the escapees from getting past her, but her load is lighter than Dick's, considering that they have to go through Batman, Nightwing, _and _Robin before they can get to her. Batman being the overprotective mentor he is. Wonder when he'll finally lighten up.

I look up and all I see is red. The red of the flashing alarm lights spinning back and forth, accompanied by that annoying beeping sound.

I turn my head and notice Batman on the floor, something protruding from his side. A knife.

Next thing I know, an unconscious Robin is falling off the bridge and colliding with the murky water. I watch Nightingale kick a few more perps before she, too, jumps off the bridge and dives in after Robin.

When I look back up, I notice something different. There's more red than there should be. I make out the figure of a woman standing at the entrance of the building, just looking at everything. Then I swear I hear crazed laughter among the loud alarm.

Harley.

I watch her skip back into the building. Finally. Some action.

I run into the building, not caring if I'm seen. I need to figure out what's going on. I need to find the Joker.

Quickly, I enter the large hallway lined with cells, my guns out.

My view is obscured by a wall, but I can see that she's talking to someone.

Probably the Joker. Yeah, the newspaper said that the Joker's still "safely" locked away in his padded cell, but an imposter could be there instead of him.

"Why are we still up here? What we need is _underground_, remember? Unless you're goin' looney in the head...nah, only one person's allowed to be crazy here, and that's mwa! HAHAHA!"

I have to get the Joker.

I come out of my hiding spot in the shadows and lunge at Harley Quinn. I point one of my guns at her head.

"Hey! Hoody's joined the party!" She says in that annoying voice of hers.

"I don't think that's a good idea." I find an arsenal pointed at my head. I look up and find Deadshot pointing his "gun" at me, Killer Frost, Black Spider, King Shark, and Captain Boomerang towering behind him.

Oh crap.

**Dick's POV**

Chaos. Complete Chaos.

I kick the prisoner about to tackle me down.

There's fire everywhere. The place could be going down and men in orange jumpsuits are running out the building like ants running out of a wet anthill.

Nightingale is trying to wake Robin up while preventing him from floating upstream and drowning. He was knocked out and thrown off the bridge and into the dirty water.

I'm here trying to protect the unconscious Batman while trying to stop the prisoners from escaping.

The building is already starting to catch fire. There are helicopters moving out as well.

Harley Quinn, Deadshot, King Shark, Black Spider, Killer Frost, and Captain Boomerang are inside the building. They're the reason why there's a break out in the first place. What are they even doing here?

I block an attack with my Escrima sticks. I jump and kick and knock out the woman.

I saw Red Hood suddenly appear out of nowhere earlier. He was running in the building after Harley and Deadshot.

What is he doing here! He's supposed to be at home! Next thing I know, Phoenix will be here too!

Oh, God. Please no. Not Phoenix.

**Autumn's POV**

I put on my mask, my belts, and my sash. I throw on my black shiny leather jacket, then tightly put on my leather gloves. Then my strong combat boots.

I walk out of the dressing room and to Red Robin.

There aren't any guns, but that's okay.

He turns to me. "No guns, no killing."

"No worries. Wouldn't think of it." He nods and runs towards his bike. As he runs, I slip on a knife down my boot and some explosions in my belt pockets and of course, a lighter. For FIRE.

I love fire.

I run towards the vehicles.

"I guess you can sit behind me." I can see his face turning pink. Why is his face turning pink? Why is he trying to hide his face?

I shake my head. "No thanks." I pull out my stick and it turns into a motorcycle.

"Cool." He mumbles.

I jump on and rev the engine, and we head off into the night.

**Chris' POV**

Come on Damian wake up! We need help! Nightwing is already getting exhausted and he looks like he's about to give out any second.

Red Hood is inside the building, doing whatever he's doing.

I'm already injured and tired of giving my brother CPR. Oh I do _not _wanna give him mouth to mouth.

Ew. Just the thought of it makes me...ew.

Dammit! He isn't waking up!

I get up and do a roundhouse kick on the other guy that was about to attack.

A prisoner is getting passed me. I look at him and I was about to run towards him. But then, he gets hit by a bike.

I look at the person on the black and red-orange bike.

My eyes slightly widen under my mask. S***. It's Phoenix.

Why is Autumn here!?

Red Robin comes up behind her and jumps off of his bike, and he kicks a woman's head.

Phoenix's bike retracts into a stick and she hides it. Huh...that's kinda cool.

She jumps up and kicks a woman down as she lands on her.

I do a roundhouse kick to my left and punch the man to my right. I move next to Nightwing and Red Robin as I fight.

"What is she doing here?"

"She's horribly persuasive!" Red Robin shouts as he punches a man's face.

"I told you not to let her get into your mind!" I elbow the man behind me and kick the man in front of me in the balls.

"I'm going in after Hood. Cover me." Nightwing starts to run in as Tim and I hold our grounds.

**Dick's POV**

I run towards the building. It's burning to the ground. I'm going in there? Yes. For my brother. I already lost him once.

I punch and kick anyone in my way as I run towards the building.

I run in through the broken front door.

The place is quite empty. It's just full of flames and ashes.

But it's not gonna collapse. Blackgate is designed for this.

I run around the building, avoiding the flames.

Where could he be?

I take out my grappling gun and fly up through the floor. I cover my head every time I crash. Ow, ow, ow, ow. I'll probably get a concussion once this is over.

Finally I hear gunshots and grunting. I stop at the top most floor. I thought they were on the first floor? I guess they moved the fight to different grounds.

I avoid a bullet as I jump through the hole.

I land and I end up back to back with Jason. He's just punching and kicking and trying to dodge bullets and boomerangs.

I jump over King Shark before he bites my head off. I use his shoulders as a launching pad and I duck once I hit the ground, dodging Harley's mallet.

She's just laughing as she swings that thing around.

I elbow Deadshot in the stomach and sidestep, avoiding King Shark's teeth.

'What are you guys doing working together anyways?" I ask, punching Harley's face and kicking her away from me.

I jump up and somersault and end up on King Shark's shoulders. I stuff putty in his eyes, then jump off of his shoulders.

Guess where I picked that from?

"Gah." My leg gets stuck to the floor by ice.

They all surround me as King Shark takes the putty off of his eyes.

Jason runs towards Harley and grabs her by her neck.

They all face him, and Deadshot and Black Spider aim their guns at him. He just holds Harley by her neck.

Harley grins. "Looky it's Hoody! I haven't seen you in a long time!" She says with that annoying high pitched voice of hers.

I put a device on the ice and the ice melts off.

I jump up and kick Killer Frost in the head, knocking her out.

Black Spider shoots at me as I fly in the air.

I grunt once I feel a bullet touch my rib.

I land on the ground with my leg outstretched. I hold onto my rib.

I dodge as King Shark tries to bite my head off. Out of the corner of my eye. I watch Jason hold onto Harley's neck, choking her, with Deadshot's gun aimed at his chest.

"You kill her, then I pull the trigger and you're dead." Deadshot says.

"Hey!" Harley says over her throat being choked.

"Go ahead. The building's going down anyways." The world rocks as an explosion is heard. "You shoot me, I kill her. Then none of you will make it out. We all die."

I jump up, but then my shoulder is shot by a bullet. I grunt as blood pours down my shoulder.

"What do you want with her anyways?" Deadshot asks.

I dodge a boomerang.

"Who are you working for?" I ask as I kick and punch Black Spider.

"Ha, like we'll tell you, mate." That annoying accent coming from Boomerang.

"Why not?" I ask in a mocking voice.

"Shut up." King Shark runs towards me, but then I jump over his head.

I land in front of Black Spider. "Enough talk."

Behind Black Spider is that standoff between Deadshot and Red Hood.

"It's not her that I want. It's her boyfriend. We have unfinished business." My eyes widen.

I punch Black Spider's face and grab his collar and throw him towards Captain Boomerang.

"Puddin' and I are together no more!" Harley says in defense.

I jump over King Shark and land behind his back. I press a button on my gloves and touch his back. He gets electrocuted and he yells.

He falls, smoke arising.

"Huh." Deadshot smirks.

Jason turns to look at Harley. "Now, where is he?"

"I told you, we're not together!"

"I don't care! Just tell me where he is!" Red Hood squeezes tighter.

Harley chokes and holds his hands.

I run towards them, but fire starts to block my way.

Harley suddenly pulls out a knife.

Then fire blocks my sight of them and then all I hear is the grunt of my brother.

Suddenly I feel arms on my forearms, holding me back.

Killer Frost and Black Spider.

I struggle. I would jump but I can't...I have deep cut on my rib.

And burns on my legs.

They pull me farther from Jason.

I can already smell the scent on thick wet blood.

I struggle and grunt. But then I feel a fist collide with my stomach.

I grunt and spit out some blood.

**Bruce's POV**

I grunt, getting off of the ground and standing up. I grunt once I feel pain on my right rib. It's bleeding...there's a knife in it. I take out the knife and tear a part of my cape and cover the wound.

I throw the knife in the river.

I stand up. There are two of everything.

But then everything goes back to normal.

The first thing I spot is a girl on fire.

"What is she doing here?" I growl, kicking a man that's about to get to me.

"I'm going in." She says.

"I'm coming with you." Nightingale says to Phoenix.

She nods.

"We'll hold them off." Tim says.

I punch and kick another prisoner.

"You didn't answer my question." I say, but then the two girls already start running towards the building.

Red Robin stands beside me. "I'll explain later." he says, hitting someone with his staff.

"Fine." I growl.

**Chris' POV**

We crash up through the floor.

Nightwing is occupied and Red Hood is on the floor. Maybe bleeding to death.

I go help Nightwing.

He's already coughing up blood, and he's already bruised.

"Aw we don't need more of you!" Boomerang says in his annoying Australian accent.

I dodge the boomerang that Captain Boomerang throws at me.

I jump up and flip as I kick Black Spider in the face, and I dodge ice sticks from Killer Frost.

King Shark charges at me, but I kick King Shark's face in the air and I land on my two feet, my cape landing one second after me.

I side step, dodging a bullet, and I punch Black Spider in the face.

Why are they all only charging at me? Jeez these idiots.

I kick Captain Boomerang's face and I do a few push-offs to dodge Killer Frost's ice, but then ice covers my arm while I'm in the air and the weight of the ice brings me down. I hit the floor hard.

I lift my arm non-iced arm and punch King Shark in the face. I take out a device to melt the ice off my arm. Jumping up, I get into a good fighting stance.

**Autumn's POV**

I jump over the fire and kick Deadshot in the face while I'm in the air. I land right in front of Harley Quinn.

She's holding a knife in her hand as she stares down at Jason, who's lying on the ground in a puddle of blood.

"Now for a little something." She takes out a tiny closed test tube and opens the top. She's about to spill it on his head when I kick it out of her hand.

I do an overhead kick. She punches my rib, but I return it with a kick in her jaw.

I hear steps behind me, so I side step and kick to my left and I hit Deadshot's back. He runs forward, then he turns and takes out his guns and shoots at me.

My eyes widen.

"Shit." I jump up but one bullet gets into my shoulder and I twirl on my back in the air.

A bullet slides past my neck and digs into the wall.

I land on my feet and kick Harley as I grunt with anger.

"Nightingale!" Deadshot and Harley close in on me, and I move back towards Nightingale. I have no idea what's going on behind me, but I hear grunting which means it's not good.

Ugh, everything would be so much easier if I could kill them and if I had my guns!

"What?" She growls, grunting. I hear a kick, but then I hear a louder grunt. At least it sounds like she has a chance.

"Is Nightwing okay?"

"Yeah...I'm fine…" He grunts.

I jump up and kick Harley's face, but then I backflip and move back.

Deadshot has a gun pointed to my head.

"Go get Hood." I tell Nightwing.

"Already on it."

In the corner of my eye, I can see Nightwing's path get blocked by fire.

I sigh and duck.

A whole lot of ice goes over my head and to the fire and pushing Deadshot back. Nightwing passes over the ice and gets to Jason.

He can take care of that.

Now, back to business.

Harley doesn't seem to care about Nightwing. Her crazy eyes seemed to be focused on me.

"You know. I'm crazy. And I can spot others like me." She enthusiastically says.

I get into my fighting stance and I flip backwards over Nightingale.

She moves to my side and we now stand side by side. Harley stands with the entire squad and we all face each other.

"Two against five. I like the odds." I say.

I move towards them and jump up. I kick King Shark in the head and Nightingale slides down and kicks his stomach.

I move to the side and dodge icicles from Killer Frost. I do a somersault in the air and kick her face. Then I land and punch her abdomen.

I punch her jaw and roundhouse kick Black Spider.

A boomerang heads towards my head, but I catch it in the air and throw it back at Captain Boomerang's face and I hear a grunt.

I hear laughing and grunting right beside me, but I just keep on jumping up and dodging Killer Frost's ice blasts.

I flip backwards and kick Deadshot's face. I try to take his gun but we struggle.

I duck once Killer Frost shoots and Deadshot gets frozen.

I face Killer Frost and Black Spider. Killer Frost hits my hand with her ice and I punch Black Spider with that same hand and the ice crashes as he gets knocked out.

The ice is cold. I kick Killer Frost and elbow her neck. I force her to lie down and I elbow her neck.

She grunts. "Phoenix!" NIghtingale warns.

My eyes widen and I punch her face over and over and over again even though she's already unconscious.

"Stop! Help me out!" I stop.

"Told ya so!" Harley says behind me.

I jump up and flip, kicking Harley's face.

Nightingale is pre-occupied with Captain Boomerang.

While I handle Harley.

"Finally!" She says with wide, crazy eyes.

I clench my fists. She takes out her knife and slashes at me, but I move back and dodge.

In the corner of my eye, I see Nightingale kick Captain Boomerang's jaw.

I continue to move back until my back hits the wall.

I take the arm she uses to hold the knife and I elbow her arm, making it fall limply. She drops the knife.

But then she cartwheels and kicks my face, picking the knife up.

I kick her jaw and use the wall as a launchpad. I flip in the air and kick her head.

I take her head and knee her forehead. Then I kick her rib, but she returns it with a punch and a slash to my rib.

I punch her face and I can hear the crack of bone beneath my knuckles.

Blood drips down her nose.

She looks down at the blood, her eyes now covered by the shadows. She looks up and grips the knife, her eyes even wider than before.

I punch her stomach and kick her forehead but then she pushes me back towards the wall and digs the knife right into my shoulder where the bullet is.

I grit my teeth.

"Shoulder wounds are bad." She taunts. "You can die easily."

"I DON'T CARE!" I growl, trying to move forward, but she holds me against the wall.

"You're strong for a kid."

Behind her I can hear a loud helicopter already and wind is blowing at my hair.

My eyes widen.

I look towards Nightingale who's already surrounded by the rest of the squad except for Deadshot, Killer Frost, and Harley.

"Ugh. You try to keep me safe. And yet, I'm always the one fighting the most people..." I hear her say to herself.

She's just trying to keep herself standing now as they all surround her.

Deadshot's statue starts to melt and red comes from the inside. He must have gotten a device.

Dammit!

In a second, Deadshot breaks out of the ice.

He grabs Killer Frost and runs towards the window where the helicopter is waiting.

"Harley, come on! Let's go."

Harley just stares at me, amused.

"Hold on. Sharky could you come here for a moment."

To her left, I can see Nightingale already on the floor and King Shark heading my way while the rest of them are heading out the window.

Harley whispers in King Shark's ear.

A grin forms in the monster's mouth. His large, sharp teeth look nothing close to a grin.

He opens his mouth and bites my other shoulder, the shoulder that isn't stuck to the wall. I

bite my lip as his metallic teeth dig into my flesh.

My head faces down as my breathing gets even quicker.

"Aww. I wanted to hear her scream. Oh well."

I hear steps and then a shout of joy as she jumps onto the helicopter.

My breathing gets even heavier.

I face my head up.

I grit my teeth. "Oh, no...you're not getting away." I take the knife out of my shoulder and run towards the window.

I glance at Nightingale who's already starting to get up.

"Get out!" I yell before I jump off of the window and onto the helicopter.

Harley is on the ladder hanging off the helicopter.

I stab her leg as I hold onto the ladder and the helicopter flies.

"Arghhh!" She looks down at me and starts kicking me down. But I hold on.

Killer Frost throws icicles at me but I swing my body back and forth to dodge, still keeping a tight grip on the ladder. I don't care even though an icicle hits my leg.

Blood drips down my shoulders and my neck. It drips down my face and down my leg.

Once we're over the bridge and over the water I climb up. Harley grunts as the helicopter starts to rumble and move so much it's hard to hang on.

But I don't let go. If Jason doesn't make it...I'm gonna kill her. I want my revenge for what she did to my brother.

I take the lighter from my belt and burn the hanging ladder.

My leather burns in the fire and I can already feel my palms burning, but I don't care.

I grab onto Harley's leg and take the knife off of her leg. She yells and tries to kick me.

The ladder burns and my clothes start to catch fire. I stab her leg again and this time, the knife goes through.

She yells. I glare at her hand and I start to burn it. She lets go.

We fall, and I grab her as we fall from a hundred feet. I punch face and her neck.

"I'm a psychiatrist. I suggest you see a therapist!" She yells.

"And you think you don't need rehabilitation either!" I yell over the wind.

I continue to punch her.

"Oh I see." She laughs. "You've got horrible mental disorders!" She punches me as we both fall. "You're homicidal and suicidal! hahaha! You're severely bipolar, you're anorexic and you have a major depressive disorder! You're a pyromaniac! And you're a sociopath! You and my puddin' would get along!"

"SHUT UP!" I punch her even as her skull seems to be cracking and as my burned gloves are already tainted.

"You got that all from a glance!?"

"I'm a psychiatrist! Hello! I'm good at this stuff! And you have more than issues! You're more than just angry! YOU'RE INSANE! LIKE MEEEE!"

"GAAAAAHH! I'M NOTHING LIKE YOU!" I punch her.

Then water slaps my back and we start to drown. I hold my breath and fire starts to light around me even in the dark.

"AAAAAAH!" I scream in the water as I just punch her over and over again. Even in the water, she laughs!

The water around us is no longer blue green in the night. It's red. Crimson blood red. Both hers and my blood.

I just continue to punch her over and over again.

My entire mind is racing, my heart beat is killing me, my hands need to punch something and that's Harley's face.

AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!

_Kill her! Kill her! KILL HER!_

_NO DON'T!_

_You want revenge don't you? You wanna make you Dad proud? Wasn't that what he wanted, for you to be like him? You wanna make Papa love you? What about Mama? And Nico? MAKE THEM PROUD BY AVENGING THEM! Start by killing Harley!_

_NO! YOU CAN'T! THAT'S ALL IN THE PAST!_

"_AAAAAAH!" I yell underwater._

_DESTROY HER!_

_NO! You'll go back!_

_I WANT TO!_

_NO!_

_YOU WANTED TO BE SAVED! YOU ARE BEING SAVED!_

_I DON'T WANT TO BE SAVED ANYMORE! I DON'T WANT TO BE FIXED! STOP TRYING TO FIX ME! DON'T TRY AND FIX ME!_

_I'M FINE IN THE FIRE! IT TOOK A LIFETIME TO LOSE MY WAY! _

_GO BACK FROM THAT LINE!_

_NO! Once you cross the line you can never go back!_

_TAKE HER LIFE AUTUMN! NOW!_

_NO DON'T!_

_TAKE BACK WHAT IS YOURS! GET THE KNIFE FROM YOUR BOOT AND END HER!_

_NOOO DON'T!_

_YOU'RE FINE IN THE FIRE!_

_YES. I feed on the friction. I'm right where I should be._

_Nobody should try and fix me!_

_STOP IT!_

Tears start to flow down my eyes and into the water.

I don't know for how long we stay there. But I think maybe, ten minutes.

But I continue to punch her even as my heart and lungs tightens with lack of oxygen.

Until she blacks out.

I open my mouth and try to breathe, but instead I sink lower along with my enemy. I hope she's dead.

I try to reach up for the artificial light but I can't, so I black out. The last thing I see is a shadow.

*****Break****

**Damian's POV**

I wake up in the med bay. I hold onto my head which is bandaged. I furrow my brows and look around.

Seated on another bed is Grayson having his wounds treated by Pennyworth.

And on another bed is Todd who isn't conscious.

Carter is on the bed to my right and Cross to my left.

Drake is standing next to Father's bed. Father seems injured as well.

"Oh good you're awake." Carter looks at me from her bed.

"Explain." I narrow my eyes.

She gestures to the beds of Autumn and Todd.

"Jason went out as Hood, went after Harley. Got injured. We needed backup, but Phoenix came with Tim. She tried to kill Harley, now she's stuck to the bed."

I look at Cross. She has wires connected to her and an oxygen mask on her mouth. "She's been out for hours. We're all still trying to recover."

"Yes. And when Autumn recovers. She's in big trouble." Father says, standing up, Drake beside him.

"I don't think that's such a good idea, Bruce." Drake says, walking by him.

"Yeah, I agree with Tim." Carter says.

"Why not?" Father growls. He's still in his uniform. He and Drake stand over Autumn's bed, watching her breathe.

"I checked her files from Arkham. Autumn Haywood? Yeah, um...she's been diagnosed as mentally ill." Drake says. Father narrows his eyes.

"She's got severe problems. It could be because of any traumatic moments or because it's in her genes. Or it could be both."

"Yeah, even Harley diagnosed her." Carter says.

"Autumn seems normal to me. Aside from the fact that she tried to kill us multiple times and…that she has a split personality and...she can't control her rage…" I mumble.

"That's only half of her mental illnesses."

"So what?" Grayson turns to us. "You expect her to turn into Harley or someone like The Joker when she gets older?"

"If she survives." Drake says. "People with mental illnesses have tendencies to commit suicide. There's depression, bipolar, some that even have OCPD have tendencies to commit suicide. Most people that have depression or whatever mental illness either just die, or die trying."

A heavy silence.

"I don't understand. Why would she have depression?"

"It can't just be depression." Even Pennyworth seems to pay attention and has stopped what he was doing. "It can be any other disorder. Or she can have more than one disorder at once."

"She was already diagnosed?" Batman asks.

Drake nods. "Yeah, I researched and everything."

"But why?" I ask again.

"It could be in the genes. It could be a traumatic experience. Or...it could be how much of a hard time she's having trying to adjust."

"So, she really is insane?"

"I think so. Unless, you think that the doctors in juvie, the rehab center, and in Arkham are all wrong. She's had about twenty doctors in those three places all in all already. She couldn't be fixed. She was given medicine. But judging from how she is now, the medicine didn't seem to work. The medicine only made her strive to draw more blood."

"There's medecine for a mental illness?" Carter asks.

"Depends on which mental illness."

There's a screaming silence in the air and all we can hear is Autumn's heavy breathing.

Alfred walks over to Autumn once he has finished patching Grayson up.

He takes the injection.

He pulls up her sleeve.

He stares at her arm for a while, with his eyelids lowered. Even Father and Drake are just staring at her arm, Father with narrowed eyes under his cowl and Drake with his eyes wide under his own mask and his lip bitten.

I furrow my eyebrows. I get out of my bed and walk over to Pennyworth's side.

The first thing I catch is her face, her lips are redder than usual. There are bruises on her face, her mask and jacket and all her weapons are placed on the table. I can see large bags under her eyes.

But her hair is as silky and midnight black as usual. Although I can see hints of heavy dark brown strands under the artificial light.

My eyes trail down to her arm.

First I see her knuckles, which are heavily bruised, and her palm is burned and has medecine on it. I can see the scars on her fingers from when she tried to dig herself out of that coffin.

Then my eyes trail up her arm.

The front of her arm has scratches and bruises everywhere; there are many scars and open wounds, with burns as well. Some cuts, bruises, and burns are freshly new, but some are old. Others seem like they were made yesterday.

And on the other side of her arm, it's zombie pale. I can see vanes.

But what's the most obvious are the cuts. Some look like they're from knives, some look like they're from a razor, some look like they were scratched with something small but quite sharp. Now I see why she always wears a long sleeved top.

"She did that to herself?" I ask, breaking the silence.

But no one answers, because the answer is obvious.

"Who has gotten through to her? Who has _accepted_ her?" Batman asks, putting emphasis on _accepted_.

No one says anything. "I cannot find anything in her diary. Nothing there makes sense."

"Autumn has a diary?" Grayson asks.

"Had."

I've seen her diary. I got it from Father's study and read a few pages. Some are in languages I have never even heard of, some are just random scary or sad poems, some are deep essays that make good points but at the same time makes me think too hard.

"I might have." Drake says and we all look at him.

"She said she can't say anything about the war. But...she can tell me who she is. Maybe."

"Why didn't she tell us last time?" Carter complains.

"We didn't say please."

Carter makes that face, showing that she's obviously annoyed.

Then there's stirring on Jason's bed.

**Jason's POV**

I look around and sit up, but I cringe once I feel a sharp pain on my ribs.

"Jason. You're up." I hear Dickie's voice.

But it's distant and the whole world seems to be a complete haze. Then slowly, everything goes back to normal.

"Time?"

"Three in the morning." The Demon says.

I rub my face, then I look to my right and see Batman's face looking down on me.

"Why did you go out?" He confronts me.

"What? I can't go out at all?"

"You know that's not what I meant."

I furrow my eyebrows.

"You know I went out."

"No. That's why I'm asking you."

I look into his eyes. "You can't take The Red Hood away from me. You created Hood. You can't end it. Red Hood is a part of me, Bruce."

"But you use your power to kill."

"You think I'm a killer?"

"No, but The Red Hood is."

"I can stop!"

"You went out with two guns, and you went after Harley to try and ask her where the Joker was. You still want revenge."

"Yes. You and your morals were too stubborn to end that Mad Man and so I think that it's my job now!"

"I thought you were over this?" Dickie asks, but we don't listen to him.

I push off the covers. I stand up, forgetting about the pain.

"Master Jason, you must rest."

"You need to end him Bruce."

"Revenge is never the answer Jason."

"Then what is?" I spit.

"Alfred. Take him to his room. Jason, we'll talk tomorrow."

Alfred heads my way and helps me towards my room.

I glance at Autumn, who is on the bed. My eyes widen, but I'm too tired to do anything.

"What happened to her?" I say.

"She went after you." Chris says.

I glare at her direction, but then guilt overtakes me and I look down.

We pass by the memorial...my memorial...as we walk out of the cave.

"Alfred. Why is it still there?"

"You will find out soon."

**Bruce's POV**

I listen as the steps get further. My head falls back and stares at the girl's arm.

She...did this to herself. Tim said it was _a_ cut. I didn't know it was this bad.

How could I have not know? I am Batman for God's sake! How could I have not known?

We can't tell Jason. What will happen to him if he finds out?

I'm sorry, this is my fault.

It's always my fault. Jason's death, her father's death, my parent's death. Why my family is broken...

I want to help the girl. But how?

I don't even know what her problem really is. And she doesn't seem like the kind of person who would talk about her feelings.

The med bay just floods with silence.

"Everyone go to bed. Go to your rooms." They all walk to their rooms except for Dick.

"She needs help." He points out.

I pull back my cowl and look at her.

"How do you suppose we do that?"

"By understanding her."

"Even you can't do that." I tell Dick.

He sighs. "I know. But you can't just forgive something like what she did."

"I know."

"Bruce, you can't even fix yourself. How can you possibly fix someone who is just as broken as you are?"

"I don't know, Dick." Maybe I can't fix her. Maybe I shouldn't try.

**Autumn's POV**

I move my hand and jolt up, my eyes wide and my lungs gasping for air.

The world is fading. It's a mix of light and dark colors, but that's it.

I can hear voices, but it seems like my head is underwater.

My breathing gets even faster and it feels like I'm choking on air itself.

My eyes widen even more. I can feel my heart beat even faster and my mind race.

"Ah." I grunt, moving around, gasping for air.

Tears start to fill my eyes.

I can hear voices of people, but they're becoming so distant. The world is fading, and my mind gets filled with whispers and so many different voices.

A hundred whispers with the same voice scream in my head, all at the same time. I don't understand anything.

I look around, but nothing makes sense...all I can see is black and white...everything is becoming so swirly. It's all fading.

I can feel tears drop down my cheeks.

I try to scream but my voice doesn't work. My lungs are too busy choking on oxygen.

"Ah." I gasp.

Suddenly, I feel something on my mouth. It feels like an oxygen mask.

I hold onto the thing on my mouth. I can feel my breathing slow down. My heart beat slowls down, and I can feel the oxygen circulating in my lungs.

I lie down, the world becoming clearer as the whispers disappear.

Everything goes back to normal, and I see Mister Wayne's face over me.

I let go of the oxygen mask and sit up.

"What happened?" I look to my left where Richard is seated on a bed.

"I...I…" I stagger.

"Nevermind." He says.

I look to my right, where Sir is standing.

"Hello Autumn. How are you?" He asks.

I hold my arm, my sleeve rolled up, then I roll it down. I look down. "I'm fine, Sir."

A long silence. "You went out as Phoenix."

"Bruce." Richard tries to interject.

"I…"

"Why?" Mister Wayne persists.

"Bruce."

"Er…"

"I need an answer Autumn."

"Bruce!"

My eyes widen as I stare down at my arm. I shoot my head up at him.

"You can't take Phoenix away from me." I glare. "Phoenix is a part of me. You can never change that."

I hear a sigh coming from Richard's direction.

"I'm not-"

I glare straight into his eyes. "You can never change that, Sir."

I get off of my bed.

"You need to rest."

"I am going to. In my room. But no matter what you do, Phoenix will never be taken away. Ever."

I can feel hot blood flowing down my veins as I walk away from the med bay.

"Why not?"

"I can do whatever I want. I can be whoever I want. And you can't stop me." I glare at him.

He suddenly glares back. I can see Grayson slap his face. "What makes you think that? What makes you think that I can't stop you?"

"You're not my dad." He tenses. "You will never be my dad. I don't have a dad or a mom. I will never _ever_ have a dad or a mom..._ever_. And I never had a dad. I don't want one anyway." I glare at his direction. "So don't try and fix me."

I run out the cave and into my room. I slam the door.

I pace around after I change.

"Gaaah!" I let out a yell of frustration.

I punch the pillows but it doesn't help. I clench and unclench my fists.

I walk towards the window and punch the wall next to the window.

I didn't even feel a damn thing!

I look out the window. I see the gates, the road...and beside the road is a forest. I grin and jump out the window after tying my hair.

I head towards the forest, where my dad and I used to train. I hide in the dark and pick a huge tree.

I start punching and kicking it until my knuckles bleed. I don't care about the pain in my shoulders. It doesn't matter!

I clench my teeth as I punch and kick.

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" I scream as blood drips down my knuckles.

I know I'm just making it worse. But everything and everyone is just making it all worse!

**A/N: Thanks for the new reviews guys! Making us more motivated to write this and also the reviews are making us excited too whenever we read them. They make our day! Sorry we haven't been able to update quickly anymore. We have a lot of stuff to do. Things to do, places to be, issues to take care of. We're busy girls ya know!**


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